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[ihskeyp]

Little Mac: 95% Great interpretation.
Greninja: 35% It's a flavor of the month Pokemon.
Palutena: 40% Look, I understand that if you played Awakening, she's amazing. However, many players haven't played that game, and see her as boring/confusing, including me.
Miis: 70% It's not that bad. They represent an era for Nintendo, and they have interesting movesets.
Pac-man: 85% I haven't played his games.

Palutena isn't in Fire Emblem Awakening, I think you meant Kid Icarus Uprising

 

[Sarki Soliloquy]

100%: A well-known and fan favorite character who has been requested for years. Since his reveal, he's caught on to everyone even more. Not to mention that his playstyle is very faithful and powerful. Pretty much unanimous universal appeal save for those murr he can only pawnch naysayers who were around for some time.
70%: Another badass fan favorite. It's a nice change-up in the Pokémon formula from the psychic movie Pokémon. Not exactly an obscurity like Jigglypuff, but I'll gladly take it. I will say that its a superfluous addition to an already cluttered franchise. A spur-of-the-moment character. If the pattern wants to be fulfilled, I won't feel completely cool with it until I see Sceptile.
65%: Eh, not as bad as most people say they are. Not particularly exciting either. Nice to see they're going with an extra customizable route with them, even within 3 generic movesets (works, but that's not going to cover a lot of the characters people want to make). Gives you the sense that they are truly crossover fighters (Smash logo hollah!) However, I'd imagine the Miis are a strain on resources and disabling them online doesn't hold the ambition of their concept. Wonder how the Amiibo situation's gonna work.
95%: A most wanted newcomer of mine. How great of a palette cleanser she was after the Mii Fighters. She was heavily teased and came out in glory. Feels like she's the only other necessary KI character. Having multiple specials is just the icing on the cake over the rest of the roster. I will say that while the KI powers were prominent in Uprising, they do strain her potential abilitis demonstrated by her goddess powers too much.
85%: The newcomer I loathed the idea of who turned out just right. Going with the Pac-Land design was the best interpretation and saves a lot of cringe on his less-than-stellar comeback attempts. Makes the most sense for a character just about everyone recognizes. Not to mention the epic 4-way battles we can have with Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man. I dunno if I agree with the 3rd party saturation though.
100%: The darkhorse who defied his odds. Extremely stoked to see that they actually went for him out of all Awakening characters. I would even argue that he's the only true FE newcomer we're getting. I'm sure a lot of people are receiving him well for bringing and end to the excruciating blue-haired lord pattern. Chrom FS just gives me more incentive to main him.
25%: She just really leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Sakurai's contradictions are just injecting capsaisin into this salted wound. They still kept up with the blue-haired lords, but in the dullest way possible. Both Chrom AND Lucina could've had more dev time put into them to make a unique fighter. Not just Baby's first Marth. The fact that I main Marth and may want a different approach (or just because I like her character) is enough for me to use her. Still, Roy wasn't even as lazily done. Hope customizations give her some flavor.

-------------------

ALL NEWCOMER RATINGS

1: 100%
2: 100%
3: 100%
4: 97%
5: 95%
6: 95%
7: 85%
8: 70%
9: 65%
10: 60%
11: 25%

 

[Headcrab Jackalope]

: 90%- Looks very fun to play, despite having a moveset composed of punches. Also brings some great music to the game.
: 100%- One of my favorite Pokémon. I chose it in Y so it has a special meaning to me. Moveset looks fun too. Also it lowered Mewtwo's chances slightly.
: 70%- I felt they were executed quite well, but they're still Miis. Being able to fight as my Shy Guy(RIP) Mii will be great.
: 1%- Palutena is the only newcomer who hasn't hyped me up at all. I don't know why. Her moveset looks quite bland. Her model looks very...soulless. Her trailer was just kinda meh, probably because you knew who it was right away. 1% only because she gives hope to other one-character series getting another character.
: 85%- Way better than I expected. Using his more classic design instead of the Ghostly Adventures one is fantastic. His moveset looks surprisingly diverse as well. Plus that trailer was hype.

Also doing the FE characters for whatever reason:

: 85%- While being a clone of Marth, Lucina was one of my favorite characters in Awakening, so I'm glad to see her in the game as playable in any form.
: 100%- My most wanted Fire Emblem newcomer. His/her combined tome/sword moveset looks fantastic. Trailer was great as well.

 

[Burigu]

Palutena: 40% Look, I understand that if you played Awakening, she's amazing. However, many players haven't played that game, and see her as boring/confusing, including me.

if you played Awakening

Great news Kid Icarus: Awakening CONFIRMED just kidding pal we all can make a mistake

Little Mac : 50% I don't even remember my past score and honestly I won't bother looking for it, little Mac is a great addition but I have no personal conection to the character. His KO upper cut isn't a guaranted KO for some videos I have seen.

Greninja : 75% I love the pokemon series and Greninja is no exception, but Pokemon reveals simply don't hype me

Palutena 100%: Most wanted newcomer, great addition to the roster. I find the customs a plus and not a con, seriously the more diverse the characters the better, I can understand people being upset because we don't know her standards specials, but people being upset because they are unique? people claim they want variety and then make these statments? Look I know her in game status as a goddess has little to do with Smash, but I would expect a god to have more powers than common mortals in that regard the depiction of the character is spot on.

People claiminig Dark Pit or Magnus were better pic? so apparently character hyerarchy isn't a thing to consider better pick up a clone of Pit with the exact same model and theorical abilities as Pit and a sword user who has little relevance to the plot than a character that use as staff, powers and is a more important character to the franchise. Dark Pit= 1 game Magnus= 1 game vs Palutena being a coprotagonist and 3 GAMES. Yeah you have a strong point there.

People complain a lot of content from KIU but what do you expect people a developer obviously fell better working with similar concepts for games, it is like a personal touch. Look at Sakurai's work they all share some aspects you can pretend to chance a person's style and ideology that is the way Sakurai works, he is not going to change out of fear someone things he overrepresent his previous works. Smash has way more inspiration in the Kirby series and I don't see people complaining about it, if it weren't for Sakurai we wouldn't even be here talking about the game.Plus if you haven't heard the news Sakurai has no plans on working on a new KI game and until proven otherwise, we fans might not see another game anytime soon. This is the best thing we can get, some love in smash.

Pacman 80% well executed

Miis 20% way to go Miis aren't iconic characters in my eyes, and they shove them on our faces a lot more than the rest, I get they are really wanted among Miiverse, and find the customizations cool, I am not going to say they "stole" a slot for others because that is flawed, but putting all that effort and time on something more worthy could have been cool

 

[Banjodorf]

Oh! Is this satisfaction for all newcomers? Neat.

/ 100% (Can I go higher?) The only newcomer I'd be more hype for is Shulk (...or Banjo. ) and seeing Robin show up, and defy every single one of my expectations for this game (having three blue-haired lords only, having to explain to people time and time again Fire Emblem isn't just blue-haired people with only swords. Sigh.) I'm just so excited, and while Robin wasn't my most wanted newcomer (Looking at you, Mac and now Shulk), s/he was up there, and I couldn't be happier. 100% on that ****.

100% Mac and I go way back. He was my number one supported newcomer until he showed up (and this was before I played Xenoblade) and Sakurai has delivered in every aspect. I probably won't play him seriously, because I prefer characters with some good air game, but man does he look like fun!

100% (Wow, such difference, much score.) I love Greninja. He's my absolute favorite Pokemon from X&Y, and I'd always hoped he'd show up in some form, but, like Robin, didn't think it was going to happen. God damn it Sakurai, what's with your strokes of genius? His moveset looks fast-paced and something my style, and just feels like he belongs.

100%. Sakurai couldn't have represented this character or his series any better if he'd tried. The Final Smash is brilliant, the moveset is nice, and all the fanservice is just fantastic. Are you taking notes, Capcom? Of course you aren't.

95%. Rosalina is my favorite Mario character. She's a character I didn't expect to make it, and her moveset looks amazing. I'm going to give her alot of playtime, and although I usually have alot of trouble with learning puppet characters (The reason for my subtraction. Also not having a Grand Star in her FS) I look forward to giving her a try.

90%. Palutena's one of those characters that I just love. Her personality is brilliant, she's something different to bring to Smash, and not only brings another deserving female rep to the table, but brings more from her (and Pit's) amazing series onto the table. I'll say she doesn't have a perfect score like the top 4 because I found her trailer to be less hype, because everyone saw it coming. In addition, I probably won't use half of the custom moves, and her face will hopefully be updated by release, because it's missing her trademark spirit. All in all, still very excited, though!


90%. Another character I didn't expect and am very excited for. I wanted Villager (Or Animal Crossing MC in the Brawl days.) but didn't expect him because of Sakurai's comments in Brawl. While I probably won't play him much, I'm glad to see him (and her too) as part of the Smash family at long last.

80%. I like Marth's style, but never liked Marth's design or the tipping mechanic. Lucina seems like something right up my alley because of her design. I also like her character, and am glad she managed to catch the train. The 20% subtraction is just disappointment at what her being a clone is going to do to her reception in places other than here. That's just me though.

75%. I dunno what score I gave last time. I'm not a huge Pac-fan, but I enjoyed the series enough, and think he deserves his place. His moveset looks interesting. He's just hard for me to get hype about, no offense to his big fans, who I'm very happy for.

70%. To qualify: I like the character idea, and it's design. She's just extremely hard for me to get hype about. Sakurai did a good job with what he decided to use, it's just that her general theme keeps me from getting excited. Look forward to seeing her in action though!

40%. Look, I'm glad Miis are here and all, but they're still the least interesting thing in the game to me. They have a ton of what look like clone specials, and are 3 movesets in one (which granted, may have taken the work of one actual newcomer because of their simple design) but are just...dull. I've always thought Miis were kind of boring, and just am not excited, except at the prospect of watching Bill Cosby kick Bowser in the nads. Tomodachi Life has improved my opinion of them, so that's where the 40% comes from now.

So yeah. Just waiting on those final newcomer trailers...

 

[KingofPhantoms]

This post's gonna be a rather long one.

: 100%

I LOVE Animal Crossing! It's one of my favorite video game franchises ever. I didn't expect him at first, but I was seriously happy to see him in the first trailer for the game, and the various gender and palette swaps make things even better. Their quirks so far as shaping up pretty well. They're definitely going to be one of the first characters I try, and likely main.

: 95%

I'm...unfortunate when it comes to certain video games. I've never played a Mega Man game in my life. However I was aware of how successful the franchise was and the current situation it was in, so I can say that I'm very happy for fans of the series.

: 20%

I don't hate her inclusion anymore, but I still find her incredibly boring in several aspects.

: 90%

I still would've preferred Bowser Jr., honestly, but I wasn't against Rosie either and she looks like a very fun and complex character that I'm interested in trying out.

: 95%

No personal connection (haven't played a Punch-Out game either....) but he looks incredibly fun to play as, and I'm really happy for those who did have connections to him and supported him.

: 100%

Initially I only wanted Brawl + Mewtwo, but I think a part of that stemmed from how that seemed like the most likely outcome to me anyway. When Greninja was first revealed for X/Y, it was a Pokemon I instantly fell in love with at it's design alone. It looked freaking awesome, a human-sized ninja frog. Not to mention Froakie became a quick favorite of mine as well as one of the starters revealed early on, so it looks like I made a good choice too.

A Greninja support thread eventually surfaced here. I supported Greninja fully, but given it's competition and how new the X/Y games were, I didn't think Greninja had a chance in all of hell. When it was revealed at the end of the Smash Direct...I. LOST. MY. MIND. I was among those who mistook it for Mewtwo at first, but my concern of Mewtwo's chances shrunk rapidly over the course of the trailer. It's not like my hopes for Mewtwo were raised, but rather I actually lost a little interest in Mewtwo being playable again. I still want Mewtwo and I still think it completely deserves to return, but other than that I would be totally fine without it now that I have Greninja. Sakurai always has a few unpredictable tricks up his sleeve. And I love him for that.

: 90%

Once again, no personal connection. She looks fun to play as, and I'm happy for those who supported her due to being fans of Kid Icarus particularly Uprising etc.

: 35%

Blah. They were handled better than I thought they would've been, but I think they were still very poorly handled, I see nothing unique or interesting about them that any other character couldn't do in some way or another. At least they can't be used in Online With Anyone, which is what I dreaded the most about them being playable, so there's that.

: 95%

I've played many Pac-man games, most of them being the old arcade games, but I did play a few 3D ones, like Pac-N-Roll. I really liked him, but I've never felt particularly close to the character himself. My want for him as been kind of off/on for a while. For a while I LOVED the idea of him being playable in Smash, mostly out of the appeal of him getting to duke it out with Mario and the other big names of gaming. But then I lost some interest in him as I couldn't really see anything unique in him ,but again this changed overtime as I saw more movesets, thought things over more. He was honestly one of the characters I was hoping to see the most at E3, and Sakurai delivered my hopes along with many others.

 

[Glaciacott]

Oh! Is this satisfaction for all newcomers? Neat.

Actually, the idea was just the 2014 newcomers, from Little Mac up to Pac-Man.

I don't know at what moment people started rating everyone, but we already did Robin/Lucina two days ago, and the last day was Villager-Rosalina.

 

[Wyoming]

- 60% - Looks like a fun, unorthodox character. Move set was well done and Animal Crossing is a series that deserves representation, despite never playing any game of the series you can't deny that this series is huge.

- 60% - Pretty much the only newcomer I haven't seen people complain about. A crowd pleaser and definitely deserves his spot. He blends in well with the cast to boot!

- 50% - I didn't mind her when she was revealed but she's starting to fade into the background with more and more reveals. Her style just isn't as interesting as the other newcomers, but maybe her taking a spot on the bench is a good thing considering the uproar against her a year ago.

- 60% - I like her conceptually. A different dynamic to the tag team aspect that will hopefully be rewarding to whoever manages to master her. Definitely seems like she has a learning curve to be good with.

- 50% - Personally his style doesn't really interest me. However, he's another crowd pleaser and Punch-Out!!! is a good series to introduce into Smash.

- 60% - Not a keen follower of the modern Pokémon games but his appearance is good news for his (and/or this generation's) fans. Pokémon was always heavily biased towards the first generation so this is a neat change from the norm. He seems like a character I might enjoy using too due to his style of play.

- 30% - Yeah I like the idea of dividing them into three different classes but it turns out they are customizable to the extreme. It has come to the point that trying to main them is starting to look a bit pointless. With that said, I'll still use them when messing around.

- 60% - If she brings her personality to the game, she'll be worth it. Move set looks good too. I'm interested in attempting to main her.

- 60% - I really like what Sakurai did with his move set. He also just fits in so well in this game. Definitely surprised me.

- 60% - Like Rosalina she seems to have a learning curve. She has an interesting concept that stays true to the character's origin. To use her, you got to be a good tactician and that is such an appealing concept.

- 50% - I personally don't mind clones. They're good at what they do, which is offering a different flavor to the original character. She's also a fan favourite for Fire Emblem fans, so if they're happy who am I to complain?

 

[Robertman2]

- 60% - Looks like a fun, unorthodox character. Move set was well done and Animal Crossing is a series that deserves representation, despite never playing any game of the series you can't deny that this series is huge.

- 60% - Pretty much the only newcomer I haven't seen people complain about. A crowd pleaser and definitely deserves his spot. He blends in well with the cast to boot!

- 50% - I didn't mind her when she was revealed but she's starting to fade into the background with more and more reveals. Her style just isn't as interesting as the other newcomers, but maybe her taking a spot on the bench is a good thing considering the uproar against her a year ago.

- 60% - I like her conceptually. A different dynamic to the tag team aspect that will hopefully be rewarding to whoever manages to master her. Definitely seems like she has a learning curve to be good with.

- 50% - Personally his style doesn't really interest me. However, he's another crowd pleaser and Punch-Out!!! is a good series to introduce into Smash.

- 60% - Not a keen follower of the modern Pokémon games but his appearance is good news for his (and/or this generation's) fans. Pokémon was always heavily biased towards the first generation so this is a neat change from the norm. He seems like a character I might enjoy using too due to his style of play.

- 30% - Yeah I like the idea of dividing them into three different classes but it turns out they are customizable to the extreme. It has come to the point that trying to main them is starting to look a bit pointless. With that said, I'll still use them when messing around.

- 60% - If she brings her personality to the game, she'll be worth it. Move set looks good too. I'm interested in attempting to main her.

- 60% - I really like what Sakurai did with his move set. He also just fits in so well in this game. Definitely surprised me.

- 60% - Like Rosalina she seems to have a learning curve. She has an interesting concept that stays true to the character's origin. To use her, you got to be a good tactician and that is such an appealing concept.

- 50% - I personally don't mind clones. They're good at what they do, which is offering a different flavor to the original character. She's also a fan favourite for Fire Emblem fans, so if they're happy who am I to complain?

Nothing above 60%? Wow?

 

[a Link to the Forums]

Nothing above 60%? Wow?

I just have to point out that your avatar goes so well with that post.

 

[Captain Toad]

Thanks to Burigu for quoting me means I haven't lost everything I put when I misread and removed it from my previous post. Much appreciated. I have updated some of my previous thoughts on it, funny how much a couple of days can make.

Pacman: 100% Wanted and got him. Another deserving third party added to the roster.

Little Mac: 97% Still looks interesting to play as, and was the first new comer who really got me feeling pumped for the game.

Palutena: 45% I just don't think I get her, maybe it's because I've not played the game or because I wasn't expecting laser beams, I don't know what it is but her moves didn't get me feeling really excited about playing her...and that model, I really hope that's just the beta version /Updated: I had clarified a bit on this a bit previously so without boring everyone again, I mentioned that she seems like quite an expressive and fun character, so I was expecting that to reflect more in how her model moves and facial expressions.

Greninja: 60% He's still random, but looks pretty fun to play as.

Miis: 35% (Was 50% a few days ago, but the more I think about who they could have been instead the more it starts to bother me again) Still they were NO where near as terrible as I was expecting (which has jumped them up from 10% that I think I rated last time), but still not 100% sold on the idea.

Here's hoping that next time we're asked for a rerate of satisfaction, these will have changed for the better.

 

[Burigu]

Thanks to Burigu for quoting me means I haven't lost everything I put when I misread and removed it from my previous post. Much appreciated. I have updated some of my previous thoughts on it, funny how much a couple of days can make.

You are welcome. You just remembered me something I wanted to ask you, do you spell "Palutina" on purpose? because her name is Palutena with an "e" I am just curious and forgot to ask you the other day. On a side note if you wanted me to read your thanks if you add @ before my user name I get a notice, so I don't miss reading your post (if that was your intention)

 

[GloriousDay]

Little Mac (100%):
Absolutely pleased with this choice. He was given a very interesting playstyle despite his moves being punches, and was one of my more hoped for characters.

Greninja (95%):
My second favorite Pokemon joins the fray! While it was unexpected, it was a nice surprise after seeing how he played. Even if it wasn't one of my most wanted *cough*Mewtwo*cough* I think that one will get his chance maybe some other day. I'm excited to see Greninja in, however, and he'll definitely be someone I try.

Mii Fighters (70%):
I like the idea of being able to play as your Miis in game, and the Mii Fighters were done extremely well. They'll allow people to import characters who didn't make it (albeit on a somewhat limited basis) and they look fun to play. The biggest complaint I have is no online, but I can understand the reasoning for it.

Palutena (85%):
Aw yeah, one of my favorite 3DS games gets some representation with a new rep! Palutena looks very diverse with her moves and should be an absolute blast to play as. I've been excited for this one since the leak and I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on her (har har shut up). Now if we can get Hades in on the fun I'll be set as far as Kid Icarus reps go.

Pac-Man (80%):
At first I was very weary on the inclusion of Pac-Man (especially if they used his Ghostly Adventures design god forbid). If he was done, I wanted him to be done right. Fortunately, Sakurai didn't disappoint with Pac-Man in this game. A nice moveset with throwbacks to other Namco games and using his Worlds design made him perfectly alright in my book. Plus, him, Mega Man, Sonic, and Mario being in the same game is absolutely groundbreaking. I love it.

 

[The Light Music Club]

Nothing above 60%? Wow?

Hey, don't push him. I was nothing above 50% until Palutena got announced.

 

[Turokman5896]

Lil Mac 100% (150% :D)
Easily my most hyped. Everything from design to sound to gameplay just resonates with me, my body is super ready!

Pacman 85%
Pretty hyped, seems legit and infant wait to play him.

Greninja 100%
Second most hyped. His play style and aesthetic are awesome and he is one of my favorite Pokemon period!

Mii fighters 60%
Pretty cool, reggie vs iwata will definitely be happening at my house, but I'm not super pumped or anything.

Palutena 75%
Palutena is just so likeable! That said, I've never liked zoning/aoe focused characters, so I'm not too excited.

After the news on the other newcomers my excitement has risen more for robin, but really dropped off for Lucina. :/

Overall, we have an excellent roster that has me hyped

 

[AustarusIV]

Little Mac: 90%
Oh yeah, he's almost exactly how I envisioned. I really enjoyed playing as him at the best buy demos.
Greninja: 50%
I barely know anything about him (haven't played X/Y yet), so I can't say much about him.
Mii Fighter: 40%
Meh. Some of their moves should have been given to existing fighters instead, like Samus with the Mii Gunner.
Palutena: 45%
TBH, I was disappointed at how she was presented. I was expecting more out of her.
Pac-Man: 85%
His appearance really wowed me, which is surprising considering that I didn't care for him before. I'm thinking of making him a secondary main.
Lucina: 75%
While the fact that she's a clone of Marth disappoints me, I still really enjoy her presence on the roster.
Robin: 100%
Yes! She's just simply amazing!

 

[Hades the Magnificent]

-Hades: He's always been seen huge, making me to think he'd be too big anyways (hate to be truthful). You can try to bring the re-scale the size routine, but it won't work for Hades like it did with Bowser.

Now isn't that just... PRECIOUS!

Disciples? I applaud any and all violence directed at this user. Make him pay for his toobigotry. ​

 

[Groose]

Now isn't that just... PRECIOUS!

Disciples? I applaud any and all violence directed at this user. Make him pay for his toobigotry. ​

Go home, Hades. Just go home.

...nobody feed the troll, OK?

 

[DaDavid]

Oh all newcomers? I thought it was just gonna be newest two. Well in that case...

30%
Having played as Little Mac in the demo, I can definitively say that my instinct to get in the air is too great to let me enjoy this guy. Shame 'cause he looked so fun in the trailer, but in practice we just don't mesh.
50% (Could be 100%)
She is a Marth clone. I have mained Marth since Melee in some degree and I love him, but I don't love what I played of him during the Best Buy demo, so, if Lucina ends up being more different than Sakurai has said so far and feels more like Marth from Melee or even Brawl, I would instantly prefer her.
60%
Now that hype has started to die, I realize that I'm not as excited for them as I thought I was after seeing them. None of the 3 seem to have moves that particular appeal to me and I personally have never understood wanting to play as myself in a game where Nintendo characters are my alternatives. Maybe I'll make Mii's of characters that fit into the 3 roles or even just some that jokingly don't, but for now I'm not looking forward to them that much.
65%
Don't misunderstand me, he looks awesome. I can't wait to see better players than myself do crazy stuff with him. But I personally have never been much good with those really fast characters, so I can't say I'll use him often.
65%
Now Megaman I could see myself getting behind. I haven't tried him but his projectile game seems very interesting and God do I love his FS. That said I was never a big fan of his games, so I'm not actually excited for him as a character, at least, not as much as some others.
75%
Playing through KI:U, Palutena quickly became one of my favorite guide-type characters of all time. And even though her reveal was very telegraphed, her attacks seem very very cool and I can't wait to try here.
75%
Wii Fit Trainer has looked interesting to me from day 1 as a cool Melee only (mostly) character. But, I'll admit that part of the hype was due to the unexpectedness of the reveal. Now that the novelty has worn off a bit, I'm no more excited for her than for my most wanted characters so far, but, I still definitely plan to get decent with her.
80%
I love Rosalina. I always have and even though I never actually wanted her for Smash, her and her Luma seem to be one of the most interesting additions to the roster so far. Yes puppet characters aren't exactly new to fighting games in general, but to Smash? Hell yeah they are, and I'm way down. Hopefully I'll be able to get really good with her.
80%
For no particular reason, I have always loved Pac-Man. Only game of his I've played is the original arcade game but honestly his design and moves look so happy and fun and interesting, so I am actually very excited to play as him. In the Battle of the Big 4, he is definitely the one I'm taking.
90%
Cute but kicks ass. What more can you ask for? I wish I could make him look more like my ACNL Villager, but I'll just have to pretend it's my own Villager on there droppin' trees on people.
100%
I fully expected and wanted Shulk to be shown on that day. But I was actually very VERY happy with what we got instead. I supported Robin for a while but I gave up hope when I realized that Sakurai was not likely to just stiff the newest Lord of an FE game in favor of the player-created character, but oh my god I'm so glad i was wrong. Swords AND Magic? He was a dream come true for me in FE and he's ever more awesome to me here. As of now he is the one new character I plan to master and main.

 

[Gunla]

Go home, Hades. Just go home.

...nobody feed the troll, OK?

To Feed or Not to Feed...

Well, I think the question for Hades is "is it a good idea to bite the hand that feeds?"

Anyways, if I'm supposed to be rating everyone, my usual of 100% for everyone is still my score.

 

[Groose]

I am honored to got this treatment, I would favorite this post if I could, thank you for taking your time to do this.

On a side note, I leave aside my personal love for Palutena when I replied him, when this is all about how I like a character then I go all the way with the bias. But when coming to an argument I leave bias aside, because after all I like and want to be objetive, I am a fan of a good and intelligent interchange of ideas.
I apologize if I made the impresion it was personal because it wasn't, I just felt a bit angry that I took my time to make a good comment only to get sarcastically ignored.

I wasn't going to continue that argument so be at peace with me, I really enjoy this thread and as long as we can keep doing this I will do my best to keep things nice.

Thank you again you put a smile on my face, really nice jazz!

I overreacted because I was tired. It probably wouldn't have caused an argument, and I was being overly cautious. Still, I'm glad that you enjoyed the post. I now have the capability to make Ace Attorney posts again, and I'm planning on doing one more good one before we end this game...

Sir, I am disappointed that you do not enjoy those.

j/k. Groose's Ace Attorney posts are a part of this thread's charm. While getting straight to the point would work, this works even better. There is no kill like overkill.

Overkill will be an understatement for the rating that I have planned. I'm scripting it out in my head every now and again, and my goal is to call two witnesses to the stand.

Palutena: 40% Look, I understand that if you played Awakening Uprising (whoops), she's amazing. However, many players haven't played that game, and see her as boring/confusing, including me.

I can understand. My best friend resists my attempts to loan him the game ("no, I'm playing [insert game here] right not"), so he feels the same way. If it isn't obvious enough, I do recommend that you try the game as soon as you can, though. It's a load of fun. If it's a money issue holding you back, check a library. I rented the game from a library, and I loved it so much I had to go buy it.

Thanks to Burigu for quoting me means I haven't lost everything I put when I misread and removed it from my previous post. Much appreciated. I have updated some of my previous thoughts on it, funny how much a couple of days can make.

Next time something like that happens, send me the bit that you posted a bit ahead of time in a PM, and I'll note it down.


: 100%
: 100%
: 100%
: 100%
: 90%
: 90%
: 90%
: 80%
: 50%
: 25%
: 10%

Little Mac: 100%
Little Mac's reveal remains my favorite even if he's fallen behind Mega Man in terms of satisfaction. Mac looks absolutely amazing; I like how his moveset has such a strong theme: stay on the ground, blitz your opponent, and charge up that KO Punch. He doesn't seem to fit with me all that well (personally, I prefer the air in terms of combat), but I'll still love seeing him in the game and matching up against him. Oh, and the stage and music he brought are both godly.

Pac-Man: 100%
Like the three characters I ranked above him, Pac-Man is a character that I wanted who exceeds my expectations. However, unlike the three guys who I also gave a 100%, Pac-Man does not drop my jaw. He's shaping up to be a very fun character, and I have no complaints about him. I'm definitely considering maining him; he seems like a character that fits to how I like to play.

Palutena: 90%
Ah, pretty Palutena. Of the five characters that I wanted to make the cut, she's the only one I find to be a little underwhelming. I'm not a huge fan of her twelve specials; I would have preferred it if they had just focused on something a bit more than going the route of quantity over quality. Additionally, I still think she looks a bit wooden; I'm growing accustomed to it, but she still does't live up to my expectation there. Still, I'm glad we got her.

Greninja: 80%
There's just something really, really strange with Greninja. Personally, I view him as the Kellam of this batch of newcomers. He's a really successful ninja because half of the time I forget he exists in Smash. I liked it when he was revealed, but after that, he just kind of faded from my mind. Aside from Lucina, Greninja will probably be the last newcomer that I test out upon getting the game; I think I will like him because he looks pretty fun and seems to fit my playstyle, but he's so much less interesting than the other challengers. The sad thing is, I use a Greninja in competitive Pokemon play, and I went through X with one as my team's anchor. This isn't from a lack of attachment or anything like that.

Mii FIghter: 50%
On one hand, I am very satisfied with how they turned out. They look like they belong in the game, and I think they bring a lot of cool things with them. I already made a Professor Layton Mii that I intend to use in Smash, and I'm thinking of other characters that I can make out of them. On the other hand, however, I am extremely unsatisfied with how much work it took to pull them off. The developers have pointed out that they took the amount of work that nine regular newcomers take. I'm sorry, but I cannot simply forgive them for that.

DAY OVER

IT'S HARD TO OVERSTATE MY SATISFACTION!
Let's see who gets the reference...​

 

[Mega Bidoof]

Go home, Hades. Just go home.

...nobody feed the troll, OK?

Don't feed the troll?

@ Hades the Magnificent , here you go.

Eat up.

 

[TechPowah]

IT'S HARD TO OVERSTATE MY SATISFACTION!​

The Groose is a lie.

 

[False Sense]

IT'S HARD TO OVERSTATE MY SATISFACTION!
Let's see who gets the reference...​

Portal. Still Alive.

(personally, I prefer the air in terms of combat)

...How many puns are in this one statement?

 

[Erimir]

Mii Fighter: 5%
To top it all off, their half-***** customization mechanic renders them unusable in online and competitive play.

By customization mechanic do you mean Mii Maker?

Because it's the customizable faces and names (and concerns about "bullying") that are the reason they're not allowed in With Anyone play, not their customizable move sets.

They are, however, fine for competitive play, because competitive play would either be in person or With Friends.

 

[Groose]

Newcomer Satisfaction Scores
89.55%--Robin
86.95%--Mega Man
83.36%--Villager
81.55%--Little Mac
79.37%--Pac-Man
78.81%--Greninja
74.18%--Rosalina
73.18%--Palutena
71.40%--Lucina
63.51%--Wii FIt Trainer
43.82%--Mii Fighters
Well, ladies and gentleman, that's all she wrote. Robin brought the thunder and stole the title of "Most Satisfying Newcomer." In about a month's time we'll probably see if that was due to recency or to him being a truly great addition, but for now he reigns supreme. As for other notable changes, it seems Palutena has experienced a bit of a slide, and Villager once again has enough fans in his pocket to soar above Little Mac.

Today we return to rating chances. We're going to start by tackling the grandaddy of them all; it's time for what will likely be our final discussion of the Gematsu Leak. Yay! We'll be doing this in three pieces. First of all, please rate Shulk and the Chorus Kids in chance and want. This will be a pretty standard rating, so I won't really bother explaining. However, I do need to explain the other thing we'll be rating. I want you to rate the chance that Gematsu had some sort of legitimate source. I only want you to rate the chance for this particular item (no want scores). Also, no debate or arguments over this item.

Nominations will still be disbarred for a week or so, but predictions are now open again. Who can you predict? Well, tomorrow we will be having a battle of the clones; it's time for Dark Pit to do battle with Roy! Please predict how the pair will do.

Schedule:
Day 279: Shulk, Chorus Kids, and Gematsu
Day 280: Dark Pit and Roy
Day 281: Dixie Kong and Lucas
Day 282: K. Rool and Mewtwo
Day 283: Snake and Isaac
Day 284: Dr. Mario and Bowser Jr.
Day 285: Takamaru and Pichu
This is a bit shorter than our usual recovery period, and I also tried to mix things up a bit. Instead of a DK Day and such, I mixed the characters up a bit. It should add some more variety that way.

 

[Kalimdori]

Shulk Chance: 99%

Sakurai: "Hey Monolith Soft, could you retweet this Smash announcement for me?"

It's a conspiracy people. Monolith Soft is in cahoots with Sakurai!

But seriously, he's a highly requested character from a popular franchise, who was leaked by Gematsu (More on that later), that has a ton of potential for Smash Bros, I'm fully confident he'll be in the game.

Want: 50%

Xenoblade is to freaking expensive! I want to play it and like Shulk, but... money...

Chorus Men Chance: 60%

I'm more confident in Shulk because of popularity and Monolith Soft, plus, unlike Chrom, there isn't anybody they could replace him with. Chorus Men on the other hand... There are so many Rhythm Heaven characters that could fit as characters, and since Gematsu's information isn't entirely accurate (More on that later) it's very possible that they could have been swapped for something else.

Want: 50%

Never played a Rhythm Heaven game either

Gematsu Legitimate source chance: 100%

I am 100% sure that Gematsu is a legitimate leaker. He just really sucks at what he does. I have no idea how he got his information, if he was in a meeting when they were brainstorming character ideas, gossiping by the watercooler, a janitor who saw people working on models, it's actually Sakurai trolling people, who knows. But it is blindingly obvious that while he is a legitimate source, he doesn't have reliable information. "Animal Crossing Guy", "Pokemon from X and Y", "Ness or Lucas", the guy isn't involved with any sort of development of the game, not even close.

Want: 50%

I'm completely indifferent to the leak now. It's been proven he doesn't know everything, I don't really care for the last 2 characters he's leaked, and the rest of his stuff isn't finite information.

 

[The Light Music Club]

Newcomer Satisfaction Scores
89.55%--Robin
86.95%--Mega Man
83.36%--Villager
81.55%--Little Mac
79.37%--Pac-Man
78.81%--Greninja
74.18%--Rosalina
73.18%--Palutena
71.40%--Lucina
63.51%--Wii FIt Trainer
43.82%--Mii Fighters
Well, ladies and gentleman, that's all she wrote. Robin brought the thunder and stole the title of "Most Satisfying Newcomer." In about a month's time we'll probably see if that was due to recency or to him being a truly great addition, but for now he reigns supreme. As for other notable changes, it seems Palutena has experienced a bit of a slide, and Villager once again has enough fans in his pocket to soar above Little Mac.

Today we return to rating chances. We're going to start by tackling the grandaddy of them all; it's time for what will likely be our final discussion of the Gematsu Leak. Yay! We'll be doing this in three pieces. First of all, please rate Shulk and the Chorus Kids in chance and want. This will be a pretty standard rating, so I won't really bother explaining. However, I do need to explain the other thing we'll be rating. I want you to rate the chance that Gematsu had some sort of legitimate source. I only want you to rate the chance for this particular item (no want scores). Also, no debate or arguments over this item.

Nominations will still be disbarred for a week or so, but predictions are now open again. Who can you predict? Well, tomorrow we will be having a battle of the clones; it's time for Dark Pit to do battle with Roy! Please predict how the pair will do.

Schedule:
Day 279: Shulk, Chorus Kids, and Gematsu
Day 280: Dark Pit and Roy
Day 281: Dixie Kong and Lucas
Day 282: K. Rool and Mewtwo
Day 283: Snake and Isaac
Day 284: Dr. Mario and Bowser Jr.
Day 285: Takamaru and Pichu
This is a bit shorter than our usual recovery period, and I also tried to mix things up a bit. Instead of a DK Day and such, I mixed the characters up a bit. It should add some more variety that way.

Wow. It absolutely stinks that two of the newcomers I actually like are in the bottom four (Lucina and Palutena).

Anyways
Shulk:
Chance - 75% - I'm pretty confident he's one of the few newcomers left. I think there are about 3 or 4 of them.
Want - 50% - I have no connection, but I don't hate him. He seems fine.

Chorus Men:
Chance - 25% - The fact that Rayman has a trophy and most likely won't be playable makes me think that RH can have a enemy in Smash Run and not have a playable character. I also don't think that 3 men running around for each player, making 12 total if all four players use them, would be able to work well on the 3DS.
Want - 5% - The Elite Beat Agents or an Idolmaster character are the IPs i'd rather have get a music game rep.

Gematsu:
95% - I was only hammered down on Chrom being in the game, making the 2nd half of the leak false. So we usually grouped the whole thing together. I thought there was a 5% chance we wouldn't get a female or magic Fire Emblem character. Now that that's over, I'm quite sure he had some type of E3 info. I think the 2nd leak all together is fake.

Predictions:
Dark Pit - 8%
Roy - 2%

 

[TitanTeaTime]

Shulk:
Chance - 99% Shulk didn't need any leak. Sakurai is aware of the existence of Xenoblade, he is friends with some of the developers of Xenoblade who also happen to be first party. Shulk is one of the most requested characters in Japan, in Europe and in the US, though not as much in the latter's case. It's going to happen. Unless of course that faint chance of him not happening happens.
Want - 100%
I shouldn't need to explain. Xenoblade is an absolutely incredible game and absolutely deserves a character; and Shulk is absolutely the perfect candidate. "Generic swordsman" my ass: the power of the Monado potentially makes him very unique, and with Shulk in the game the door opens up for a Reyn assist trophy (It's Reyn time, of course) and a huge selection of possible Xenoblade stages with the possibility of a Metal Face boss along the way.
Chorus Men:
Chance - 25%
While Shulk didn't need the leak, the Chorus Men were hit hard by the leak being proven outdated and/or unreliable. I feel like a Rhythm Heaven character in some form or another is guaranteed: It's just that the Chorus Men might not be what we get.
Want - 60%
They could be a unique choice, and I'd be fine with them being in. It's just that frankly I've recently turned more in the favor of a certain wrestler.
Gematsu: Abstain
Meh. I don't really care about it, as long as people will shut up about it being "all we get." There's obviously room for more than just 2 more newcomers.
Dark Pit: 10%
Some people are going to think he has a chance for some reason.
Roy: 0.2%
Same as the above, though much less so.

 

[Pureownege75]

Shulk
Chance: 75%
Want: 50%
I still think Shulk is in the game. He's very popular, and his voice actors tweets are pretty promising evidence. However, there is zero evidence of him in the actual game, which is what really hurts him, when compared to other characters like Chorus Men, K. Rool, and to an extent, Ridley. I explain later why I think Gematsu is still worth discussing, so I think Shulk has a good chance to get into this game. I'm sure Nintendo want the new Xenoblade game to do well, and there is not better way of helping that happen than putting him in Smash, regardless of if he's actually IN the new game. I haven't played Xenoblade, but he seems like he could be interesting, although presumably so few characters left, I'd rather have the ones I supported.

Chorus Kids
Chance: 60%
Want: 50%
These guys take a much bigger hit than Shulk for an obvious reason, they are much more obscure. I DO think we'll get a character from the franchise (because of the obvious Smash Run enemy, and the fact that it's currently one of the biggest unrepresented Nintendo franchises), I'm just not sure if it's them any more. I really don't know the series too well, so I can't really think of who it COULD be, but Chorus Kids by themselves had a major blow to their chances. I still think Gematsu was legit, so they aren't out of the question, but their chances aren't as good as they once were. As for the want, they are in the same boat as Shulk, I'd just rather get who I requested at this point

Gematsu Being Legit: 70%
First off, I definitely believe that the first batch of information that Gematsu gave us was legitimate. He got the entire list correct, even with the odd-ball Wii Fit Trainer, and accurately calling Mii Fighters by their real names. It's the second part that's got me bugged. There are really two options here. Either he had some wrong info regarding Chrom and Company, or he simply wanted to build off of his actual leak by providing his own stuff. I believe the former, because honestly, when he came out with the second batch, he wasn't nearly as notable as he ended up becoming after E3. It's honestly not a stretch to think that Chrom was originally the intended Fire Emblem Awakening Rep (Sakurai even said he was considered), they made a model for him, but changed their minds, and simply retooled their work into Robin's Final Smash. Similarly, Sakurai said Lucina was considered being a Marth alt, so once again, Sal might have gotten his information before the characters became split. we know his info was very early, as shown by calling Greninja, "Pokemon from X/Y" (something Sakurai confirmed, as there was a spot left open for a Pokemon from the new games), so that could explain the lack of Lucina and Robin. I certainly believe the leak LESS than I did prior to the news, but after giving it alot of thought, I don't think the leak is dead, it just took a hit.

 

[Gunla]

Shulk: Shulk's Our Monado Boy!
Chance and Want: 100%- Not only do we have a character with excellent and brilliant potential, a character from an up and coming Nintendo franchise, but we have a character that screams "Smash" with his whole universe. He's currently my most wanted, so take that into account (he shares that spot with BWD) for my want score. No what ifs: I'm dead certain our Monado Boy is in the game. Just because something including him derped hard because it was outdated doesn't mean he's losing too much in chance.

Chorus Men: TOGETHER NOW!
Chance: 50%- Possibility they may have been swapped for another character due to development hell is all that is barring him. I still fully believe RH is a strong enough franchise to warrant a character (as it's a very popular and well recieved franchise in Japan at the least)
Want: 100%

Gematsu Legitimacy- 100%- As Kalim stated above.

Predictions:
Dark Pit: Pit's Alternate?- 20%
Roy: Still Our Boy?- 2%

 

[Deleted member]

Shulk, Chorus Men, and Gematsu Legitimacy have been added to the Directory.
If you have rated Shulk or the Chorus Men, check to see what you've said on their days!

Shulk is getting rated again, eh? You think that the Gematsu leak being illegitimate kills his chances? Well, I have to post the evidence once again. He doesn't need this damn leak to get in.
Heir to the Monado, Shulk

Chance: 80%
I must start off with the negatives.
1. Xenoblade is still a new franchise. However, it’s incredibly unfair to call Shulk “too new” when other characters were more new than him prior to their Smash debuts. Greninja’s confirmation kills these “too new” arguments.

Spoiler

Xenoblade is still a new franchise. This is unfortunately true, though I don’t think that this hurts Shulk’s chances too much. While it definitely doesn’t have the longevity or the notability of Mario or Zelda, Xenoblade is still very well-known and highly praised. One argument that I often hear against Shulk is that he is “too new,” which I find to be as stupid as calling King K. Rool “too big.” Why? Xenoblade came out in 2010 in Japan, and thus you have had 4 years to warm up to Shulk before he could potentially appear in Smash. That time period is actually longer than some vets before their debut appearance in their respective Smash appearances. You know when Pokemon Red and Green (or Blue as it’s called here in America) came out in? 1996. When did the first SSB come out in? 1999. Pokemon to SSB 64 is a shorter time span than Xenoblade to SSB4. If we look at Pichu, Pokemon Gold and Silver were released in 1999, 2 years before Melee. Heck, Lucario only existed for 3 years before his debut in Brawl if we count his initial debut to be Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew; Lucario’s game debut was in 2006 with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and those games were released 2 years before Brawl. Outside of Pokemon, Fire Emblem also follows this case. Ike’s first Fire Emblem game, Path of Radiance, was released in 2005 and Brawl was released in 2008; Path of Radiance was released 3 years before Brawl. Fire Emblem: Awakening came out in 2012 in Japan, that’s two years before SSB4 might be released. Xenoblade Chronicles has been released for a longer time than Awakening, so does that mean that Chrom, Lucina, Robin, and all of the other Awakening characters that people want in Smash are too new as well? Looks like that is irrelevant now since Robin and Lucina are playable characters! A much better example is Roy in Melee; his game was released after Melee, being too new didn’t stop him there. My reasoning for bringing up these characters is to make a point; why should people call Shulk “too new” when other characters were much more new than him in their respective Smash debuts. One major development that helps murder these “too new” arguments is Greninja’s confirmation. Pokemon X and Y came out in October of 2013 and it was confirmed to be playable in April of 2014, months later after its initial debut. This means that Shulk isn’t “too new” for Smash 4 like people are claiming. His series is new, but that doesn’t mean that should prevent his inclusion in SSB4. I just find the notion of Shulk being “too new” to be an absolutely stupid and tasteless argument that I can’t believe that people are using against Shulk.

2. Shulk has only appeared in one game so far. Despite the fact that he could be a one-off, we’ve seen various one-offs in Smash (like Sheik). The X protagonist won’t get in over Shulk as he isn’t demanded and we don’t even know whom he is.

Spoiler

Shulk only appeared in one game. This isn’t detrimental, but it’s still something notable. Maybe Sakurai would think that Shulk doesn’t deserve to get in SSB4 since he only appeared in one game. However, we’ve seen various one-offs in the Smash universe, so I don’t find this to be hurtful towards Shulk. I mean, Lucas has only appeared in Mother 3 and he got in Brawl. Speaking of one-offs, I’ve seen arguments against Shulk saying that he would be a one-off and wouldn’t get in Smash. I disagree with this. Shulk is the first protagonist of Xenoblade and is still a very highly requested character; there is no way that someone from X is going to get in before Shulk. Sheik is a one-off character from the Zelda universe and she got in Smash; Roy is also a one-off and he got in Melee and people are clamoring for his return. So, I find this to be a weak argument as well.

3. Xenoblade’s sales weren’t the absolute best. While this is true, some franchises represented in Smash didn’t have impressive sales either. Xenoblade’s sales won’t make Sakurai overlook him.

Spoiler

Xenoblade didn’t have the best sales. While sales are important, you have to understand that Xenoblade had a limited release in the US. Copies are scarce and the game was only released in GameStops in the US. I am not so sure how well it sold in other areas, but the game definitely left an impact on those who have played it and haven’t played it. So, I find Xenoblade’s poor sales to be a minor factor in this case. Some series with poor sales are getting represented in Smash; the biggest example here is EarthBound. Heck, even Captain Rainbow is getting some content in Smash. Remember that fat Little Mac trophy? That was from Captain Rainbow, an obscure game that was only released in Japan and it had extremely poor sales. In fact, the sales were so bad that the European port was cancelled! While Xenoblade doesn’t have the best sales in the world, I don’t think that Sakurai will overlook Shulk and Xenoblade at all.

Yes, these are things that do indeed hurt Shulk's chances, but his positives overtake his negatives by a large amount.
1. Monolith Soft has been very active in Nintendo’s latest games, even participating in Brawl’s development. Monolith Soft is also a first party company to Nintendo, meaning the rights to use Shulk and other content from Xenoblade wouldn’t be difficult to get at all.

Spoiler

Monolith Soft has been very active in the development of several Nintendo games. They have worked on games like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. One game that they also helped in the development of is Super Smash Bros. Brawl; since Sakurai has worked with Monolith Soft before, he can easily go to them and request to put Shulk in Smash. Maybe even Monolith Soft would like a say and request Sakurai to put Shulk in SSB4. On the topic of Monolith Soft, I must address two quick things. First, Monolith Soft is a first party company; this means that Xenoblade Chronicles is a first party series and Shulk doesn’t face legal issues. For further proof that he is, here are some government documents that proves that Monolith Soft is a first party company to Nintendo and, by extension, Nintendo fully owning the rights to Xenoblade Chronicles:
http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77749675&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch
The rights to use Shulk can easily be obtained, though I can imagine that Sakurai must ask for permission to use Shulk and any other content from Xenoblade Chronicles. I mention this, as it’s a rather popular misconception since people believe that Shulk is a third party character. Second, Nintendo didn’t buy out Monolith Soft when Xenoblade was released. They owned them prior to that moment. So, those who say that Nintendo bought Monolith after Xenoblade and using that as a point are rather wrong.

2. Sakurai acknowledges Xenoblade and its existence. He might be a fan of it for all we know and the roster was decided when Xenoblade was released in areas outside of Japan.

Spoiler

Speaking of Sakurai, he acknowledges Xenoblade. While he has to have the knowledge of many Nintendo franchises, it’s still nice to see that he is at least aware of Xenoblade and how big this series is. In fact, on his Twitter, he posted a pic of Shulk’s sword, the Monado.

For all we know, Sakurai could be a fan of Xenoblade and would love for the series to get represented in Smash. This definitely helps out Shulk’s case, especially when the time stamp of this pic is during SSB4’s development. For all we know, Sakurai could be a big fan of this game and would love for it to get represented in Smash. Xenoblade being released in other areas when the roster was decided in 2012 helps this home in on this fact. Sakurai may have caught wind of the Xenoblade madness that was going on at the time.

3. Shulk isn’t a generic swordsman; he could be one of the most unique characters in Smash thanks to his sword, the Monado. He would be one of the easiest characters to create a moveset with.

Spoiler

Shulk has uniqueness. We’ve seen all sorts of characters have a unique element to them. Villager has his items, Mega Man has the Robot Master’s weapons and tons of projectiles, Wii Fit Trainer attacks with yoga poses, Rosalina has her Lumas and puppeteer moveset, and Little Mac has his Power Meter and punches. What does Shulk have that could make him unique? The god-slaying sword, the Monado. The Monado is what sets up his uniqueness. I hate how people call him “generic” and that he would be “just another sword user.” It tells me that these people haven’t played Xenoblade, haven’t seen footage of the game, or are using excuses to hate Shulk. The Monado is vastly different than some of the swords that have been seen in Smash. The Monado has its own powers that help separate it from the other weapons that we’ve seen in Smash, thus making the Monado a standout weapon. Shulk has various Monado Arts that he can use in battle. He can use Monado Buster to charge up the attack and this in turn would increase the length of the Monado for his neutral special, use Monado Eater to send out a projectile and that projectile will cause poison damage as his side special, use Monado Speed to recover in his up special, use Monado Shield as a reflector and move around with the move being active as his down special, and use Monado Cyclone to create a massive pillar as his Final Smash. Other than Monado Arts that I’ve mentioned (there are others like Monado Enchant, Monado Armor, and Monado Purge), he has his own Arts like Back Slash, Slit Edge, Shaker Edge, Stream Edge, and Air Slash. Sometimes Sakurai isn’t faithful to some characters, thus Shulk could use Arts from other characters, like Reyn’s Aura Burst or Dunban’s Gale Slash for example, in some of his standard attacks. If Shulk had another gimmick like Little Mac’s Power Meter, it would could a Level Up system where his attacks would become more powerful and level up as Shulk continues to dish out damage at his opponents. Shulk can also have visions, which help him see into the future and prevent something horrible from occurring. However, I have a hard time imagining how the visions can be incorporated in a moveset as the pacing of Smash Bros. is far different than the pacing of Xenoblade. While the Monado is a big sword, it’s nothing like Ike’s sword. Shulk’s speed and weight would be in the middle, unlike Ike who is slow and heavy. Shulk’s play-style could involve prediction, which could be similar in vain to the visions. If you predict your opponent correctly, you could use one of Shulk’s devastating attacks to deal damage or finish off the opponent. If you predict wrongly, you could leave yourself wide open for an attack. I know that Sakurai is having trouble creating movesets for various characters nowadays since there aren’t many characters left who would fit in this environment, but Shulk already has moveset potential and it would be easy for Sakurai to convert Shulk as a fighter.

4. Shulk has absolutely no competition. Isaac is by no means considered competition for Shulk as Isaac could easily get on the roster along with Shulk; it’s absolutely pointless and stupid to say and start arguments that they are. Even if Shulk was competing against the other Rainfall heroes, Zael and Aeron, Shulk blows them away with the critical reception, sales, and popularity Xenoblade garnered.

Spoiler

Competition? That’s non-existent. I have seen some sort of “blond trio” group of Shulk, Isaac, and Saki. The truth of the matter is that neither of these characters even compare to Shulk. Isaac? You can argue that they are fighting to become the quintessential JRPG rep, but I don’t see these two competing and I think that they can both get in. Isaac’s moveset potential comes from his psynergy and seeing some Golden Sun footage for various attacks that Isaac can use, they are nothing like Shulk’s Monado Arts and the regular Arts that other characters can use in Xenoblade. Saki? While he was sadly disconfirmed to return as an Assist Trophy, I must explain why Shulk and Saki arguments are pointless. Saki’s game is an on rails shooter and his uniqueness is set up with projectiles and melee combat from his sword; this sword doesn’t have any sort of mythical powers like the Monado and Xenoblade is a JRPG. This one is by far one of the dumbest of debates. These series aren’t even comparable to Xenoblade right now; Xenoblade is getting time in the limelight, Golden Sun hasn’t been heard from in years, and Sin and Punishment had a revival and was forgotten shortly after. The competition with the other Rainfall heroes is also rather small. Zael’s and Aeron’s respective games did not meet with the same success that Xenoblade did. Xenoblade had better sales and better critical reception than The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower. I can see them get on the roster as DLC characters, but I can’t see them be in direct competition with Shulk. If they are seen as competition, then Shulk has beaten them by a landslide. Zael’s, Aeron’s, and their respective game’s popularity are miniscule compared to the popularity that Shulk and Xenoblade have. I can’t see Shulk have any form of competition to worry about.

5. Nintendo has been acknowledging Xenoblade as of late. The series has an immediate future and Nintendo might push Xenoblade to become something even bigger.

Spoiler

Xenoblade is currently getting recognition. All right, this is a minor point that I have added from my original post, but it’s still something that kind of helps Shulk. You think that Nintendo would want to not mention about the Operation Rainfall games and that they would put those games behind them. However, to my surprise, they are acknowledging and embracing Xenoblade. With Xenoblade getting mentioned in the latest Nintendo Direct and even having its own Puzzle Swap, it shows that Nintendo might push to make Xenoblade something even bigger. With X getting released some time in the future, Xenoblade is sure to have an immediate future. I am unsure if X is a sequel to Xenoblade, but I am confident that it is. In any case, I don’t believe X helps Shulk and I don’t think that he would get in Smash just to promote X. We aren’t even sure if he’s in the game! Regardless, I find that Nintendo acknowledging Xenoblade and giving it credit may affect Sakurai’s decisions.

6. The demand for Xenoblade is far greater than the supply for it. Many people are willing to buy this game and the prices for it are absolutely outrageous. The demand for Xenoblade may have caused Nintendo to pay close attention on Xenoblade and to promote it more.

Spoiler

People often say that Xenoblade is a very niche RPG and an incredibly obscure one at that. The reason for this is not because it is unpopular or it was unheard of. The game was a GameStop exclusive that was sold for a limited amount of time. Naturally, when the demand goes up, the supply does as well in the rule of supply and demand. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with Xenoblade. The game wasn’t given a full retail release and was instead a GameStop exclusive, meaning that there are limited copies in only GameStop. Websites like Amazon and eBay fetch a high price for Xenoblade Chronicles! I’ve seen one copy of the game cost for $175! My own copy that I bought at GameStop, which was apparently “used,” was $70, the price of a new game! This is absolutely critical as it may have lead to Nintendo to promote the series more. Nintendo is aware of Xenoblade and the amount of sales that it could bring with it. If they didn’t, X wouldn’t be promoted as a major title for the Wii U, they wouldn’t give Xenoblade its own Puzzle Swap in the StreetPass feature for the 3DS, and they would have left it behind in the burner and make it to be dormant alongside F-Zero and Star Fox. Xenoblade’s high demand made Nintendo realize the error of their ways by not giving it a full retail release and instead give it a limited one. With X coming along the way, Nintendo shouldn’t make the same mistake they made before.

7. Shulk is one of the most requested characters worldwide. The casual fanbase might not know who Shulk is or what Xenoblade is, but there are already unknown characters to the casual fanbase that are already on the roster in Smash. This is a character that is impossible for Sakurai to ignore.

Spoiler

This is the most important. Shulk has worldwide demand; more specifically his popularity is coming from Japan. People in America and other areas may have not played Xenoblade, but they have at least heard of it and might think that Shulk would be a cool addition in Smash, thus he is still getting requests in those areas. In fact, his Operation Rainfall support is still going strong to this day. It’s critical in Japan as they help Sakurai determine who would be popular picks on the roster. According to Chrono, Shulk is by far one of the most requested characters in that region. Who know who else is? A confirmed Mega Man, a god-tiered requested King K. Rool, and a possibly leaked Palutena. Shulk is also the most requested character that is not from a represented series in Japan. He did have competition for that category in Starfy, but Shulk now dominates it in Japan after when Starfy was confirmed to return as an Assist Trophy. Even in various polls, Shulk has managed to be consistent on the top of numerous lists. Even when these are just polls, want lists, and requests, they add up to hundreds or even thousands of times that Shulk’s name has been mentioned. I’ve heard arguments that Shulk shouldn’t be in Smash Bros. as he is an unknown or obscure character. While newer gamers probably won’t know who he is, he still has the requests and the popularity from Xenoblade to back up his notability. There are characters that we know that others don’t know. One of the biggest examples here is Little Mac; the people in the US were absolutely ecstatic to see him get included while the Japanese viewed him as obscure and as an unknown character. I also recall people in the Daily Miiverse Pics thread say that they have no idea who Captain Rainbow was or what his game is even about when the fat Little Mac pic was shown in a Pic of the Day. Just because Xenoblade and Shulk have relative obscurity among the casual fanbase shouldn’t hurt Shulk by any means, especially when the king of Nintendo obscurity is getting represented in SSB4 in some form. So, calling Shulk too obscure or too unknown for SSB4 is yet another weak argument as Shulk has the fans and the support to help push him into SSB4. Shulk is definitely a character that is impossible for Sakurai to ignore.

I rest my case again good sirs and madams. The Monado Boy won't simply give up simply because the Gematsu leak is day. The little boy lost his Gematsu, but he can do a thing without it! I am still confident that he is going to seize his destiny! The future shall belong to Shulk!

Want: 100%
I have said this time and time again; Shulk is my most wanted newcomer for Smash 4 and my third favorite video game character of all-time. I cheered for him in the story, I felt his struggles, I enjoyed his character overall, and I love the weapon that he wields, the Monado.
He would bring so much hype for me and him getting in Smash would mean a lot to me. This is something that must happen. With next month being the 4 year anniversary of Xenoblade being released outside of Japan, here's hoping for True Monado Tuesday!
I mean, what more can I say?! You know how much I want him! I guess I'll quote myself from long ago:

I want him in Smash. I think that he would be a fantastic addition to the roster! Xenoblade is an amazing game and it warrants representation in Smash. It has amazing atmosphere, music, gameplay, story, characters, a battle system that isn’t stressful, an incredible sense of exploration, and so many other things. It’s just a shame that not many people have played it. If this game isn’t represented, then that would be an absolute crime.

As for Shulk himself, he is within my top 10 video game characters of all-time. The Monado is cool; Shulk is cool. What I like about Shulk is that he isn’t a stereotypical RPG hero. He doesn’t go all-out and use ferocity to overcome his problems; he is all about the brain, not the brawn. He thinks his battles through and he strikes when necessary. Some of the things that he experienced in Xenoblade are some things that I can relate to on a personal level… but I rather not get into that.

Over time, I realized that Shulk is my most wanted newcomer. In fact, I want him more than I ever wanted Little Mac. If Little Mac weren’t confirmed, Little Mac would be my second most wanted newcomer while Shulk would be my most wanted newcomer.

This is a character that I will most likely main if he gets confirmed. If he gets in Smash, I would just rocket to the moon and back! Yes! I would be that excited! Heck, things like that Monolith Tweet and the Monado pic have made me jump out of my chair!

Seriously, if you haven't played this game or seen Chuggaaconroy's LP of it, something is wrong with you!

BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE MONADO, SMASHERS!

Chorus Men
Chance: 20%
If I were to rate Rhythm Heaven as a whole, it would get a 95% from me still. The Sneaky Spirit is definitely something that is questionable as to why its there.
As for the Chorus Men themselves, I have grown skeptical on them appearing. They are definitely a unique option, but there are still a lot of popular and important Rhythm Heaven characters. They suffer from the same fate as Fire Emblem; they have a lot of good options, but those good options interfere with each other when coming up when competition starts to arise.
Want: 50%
Indifferent

Gematsu Leak: Abstain
I can't say much about this and I can't rate the legitimacy of it as a whole. Still 8/11 is impressive.

Dark Pit Prediction: 2.79%
Hope will never die for him I suppose...
Roy Prediction: 14.04%
Melee veteran... but I dunno how much this means in the long run when we have 4 FE reps.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

What happened to the Ridley Chibi Robo day ?
Shulk: 99.99% Chance 100% want
Chorus Men: 99.99% Chance 100% want
Gematsu legitimacy: 80%

I predict Gematsu was based on old info, which was outdated. It would make sense for that, since Sakurai did state he considered Chrom. As seen by Lucina, last minute changes occur, so Lucas seems safer then before. However, one cant refute the fact it got 8 of its predictions right...

Dark Pit 40%
Roy 1%

 

[Groose]

What happened to the Ridley Chibi Robo day ?

That will be right after we finish the current schedule. It's the shift back towards open nominations.

 

[Starbound]

Shulk: 90% Chance / 100% Want
It really just makes a lot of sense with the direction that newcomer selection is taking. They are all promoting successful Wii and 3DS games. There's only four franchises left that fit under this bill: Kirby, Zelda, DK and Xenoblade. When factoring in Gematsu (more on that later), I think he's still the most likely newcomer.

Chorus Men: 65% Chance / 90% Want
These guys I'm not so sure on. I do think that a Rhythm Heaven character is definitely happening (until we get confirmation of series with no playable characters having Smash Run enemies). I do think that the idea of a musical fighter will be kept and if Chorus Men prove to be too complex, Marshal can take on their moveset with very little work needing to be done.

Gematsu is real: Abstain
I still think so. It's always been a belief that the leaker had outdated info (Pokemon X/Y, Animal Crossing Guy and now Chrom). This guy seems to only have info from the early in development stages, which is why he didn't predict Lucina (as she was a late in development addition) and likely won't predict any other clones. At the same time though "Shulk is 100%" and Mii Fighters are a little suspicious about where exactly this guy would fit in terms of info. Maybe the leaker isn't even a leaker and is getting info from someone else. We've already discussed the likelihood of getting 8/11 on the newcomers though (I think it was something like 0.000002%).

 

[MooseSmuggler]

Shulk
Chance: 99%. New franchise, popular, known to Sakurai, all that jazz. Also lack of ANY Xenoblade content is suspicious (someone in the Shulk thread also pointed out that pre-Brawl info showed nothing Pikmin related until after Olimar's reveal)
Want: 100%. Don't care about anyone else. Just give me Shulk.

Chorus Men
Chance: 60%. Gematsu taking the blow it did hurts them since Rhythm Heaven could have another rep. They could easily get Chrom-zoned in favor of someone else, but stil could have made the roster.
Want: 50%. I'm neutral to the little guys.

Gematsu legitimacy
Chance: 95%. I think the source is someone on the inside. But someone on the inside who has no idea what they're doing and got really outdated info that has since changed (possibly even before the roster was finalized). The fact that they got as many right as they did (including WFT) seems way too impressive to be a guess.
Want: 70%. It helps Shulk, but if it turned out to be total bunk, Shulk would still be likely to get in.

 

[Bosspon]

Shulk:
99.9% Chance: There's a lot about Shulk that's promising. Unique moveset, IP that represents Monolith, he is a Nintendo Character, his VAs (both English and Japanese) tweeted about secret projects within a month of each other, Sakurai's tweet about the Monado replica, and even the fact that they haven't shown any Xenoblade stuff so far helps his odds. Operation Moonfall showed the world that people wanted him and cared for him, plus he's one of the most requested in Japan.

100% Want: He could only make the game better and Xenoblade is awesome. Plus, us over in the Shulk thread need a subforum for our horrible HadesxShulk fanfiction (don't ask).

Chorus Men:
60% Chance: Them having an enemy in Smash Run makes it likely, but I'm still not too certain on them.
80% Want: I'm all for unique fighters. If these guys can have a unique, rhythm-based combat while simultaneously representing a previously unrepresented genre, then they deserve to be in. However, I'm not too sure they deserve a spot over somebody else that fans are highly requesting.

Gematsu is Real:
50% Chance: They got some stuff right, but most of it was fairly obvious and easy to guess. However, I'm not one to wave them off entirely because outdated info is an explanation that makes sense. Really, I just don't care about it anymore.

 

[ZXMechonHunter]

Shulk:
Chance 99%/Want 100%
Pretty much everything Brawler said I agree with.

Chorus Men:
Chance 60%/Want 50%
Shulk was always incredibly likely. Chorus Men lived on the Gematsu leak. I wouldn't mind them getting in, I'm all for weird characters.

Gematsu:
75%
I still say it's very possible that at the time the leak with Chrom came out, he could've been playable or worked on and later replaced with Lucina. He got a ton right, but there's no way he guessed WFT. He at least knew about that one. But as of now, it could go either way.

 

[chronomantic]

-Shulk
Chance 80% - new popular IP, a sequel is coming, a plethora of suggestive tweets, etc.
Want 60% - his gameplay could be really interesting. A RPG rep is always nice.

-Chorus Kids
Chance 80% - even if the leak didn't exist there's a Rhythm Heaven enemy in Smash Run where only playable reps have one. Sakurai clearly had in mind to include RH in Smash in one way or another.
Want 100% - most wanted newcomer by far.

Sal's leaker being true - 80%
His record so far is 8 out of 11 characters. Yes, he missed Chrom but he probably had old info. Sakurai's Famitsu column is very telling, we don't know how far Sakurai went with Chrom if at all but it's very possible he changed plans somewhere along development. Ultimately it doesn't matter if it's true or not (except for Shulk and Chorus Kids fans) because he may have missed out on other characters. Although there's the 'bottom of the barrel' comment from Sakurai and that may mean there are just a handful left to reveal (3 or 4 maybe?). Anyway I want the character speculation to be over already! glad we're approaching the release date.

 

[a Link to the Forums]

GEMATSU IS DEAD! ...I hope

Shulk:
Chance:80%
A bit lower because the Gematsu leak got a serious blow to it's reputation but I still believe Shulk stands a great chance. He's popular, comes from another popular series and has great potential. Add te fact that Monolith retweeted the newcomer announcement (although it wasn't Shulk it's still a point in his favour) then all-in-all you've got a pretty solid chance.
Want:90%
Ever since I've started watching Chuggaaconroy's walkthrough on Xenoblade and joined the Shulk support thread I've become to like Shulk a lot and is now one of my most wanted.

Chorus Kids:
Chance: 40%
I can see Sakurai going for them because of how wacky they are (suitable joke character indeed) and possibly unique they could be but, let's be honest, their main reason as to why they were likely was the leak. Putting Chrus Kis in would also mean a lot of programming which would certainly make things difficult. Add the fact that there is competition within the franchise as to who gets the spot then there chances are definetly lower.
Want:abstain

Gematsu legitimacy:
Chance: abstain
Let me explain this. I believe that the first leak was legit it's just the latest one that makes me doubt. He got the E3 reveals in 2013 right (even if some were missing) including Wii Fit Trainer. No one was expecting her which, of course, added with almost perfect results ( being the only major blow) then things are looking good for him. But then Chrom happened. Now it's possible the leaker just assumed it was Chrom b another vague description like 'character from Fire Emblem awakening' (similar to "pokemon from X anf Y) then why didn't he just say 'character from fire emblem awakening'? It doesn't make sense. Then you have the fact that it wasn't one FE newcomer but two. Now, it's possible Lucina was a late addition because she is very clone-y and might be the reason as to why the leaker missed it but it still is a is blow as to whether it's legit.
Want: abstain
I like Shulk but I don't know what to think of Chrous Kids and I don't really like the fact that Lucas is gone (or supposedly gone). I just don't know how much I want this to be real.

Predictions:
Dark Pit - 4%
Roy - 1%