Who's this guy? He's the "Game Master" in Retro Game Challenge and its sequel, which are DS games that comprise a collection of classic games in the style of the 80's Arcade and NES. This includes RPGs, shooters, puzzle games and so on. It's a true retro styled tribute to that era of gaming and that makes Arino the Game Master a perfect rep for everything retro!
This game was based on Arino's experiences on his show. The fictional "heads" of Game Center CX pick an extremely hard, old game (mostly NES before branching out in later seasons) and Arino must complete it in one sitting, even if it takes all night! Arino actually went to Namco to get a deal to make his game and it's a true love letter to the 80's in every way.
This is
not Arino from the TV show. This would be a floating head that summons all kinds of representatives from his games, be it roleplaying archetypes, platforming characters or other bits and pieces for his attacks, on top of, well, what a giant head naturally does. Arino's not above simply biting at the foe or using his giant head to butt them. Hey, if Villager and WFT can have sets, this isn't too out of the ordinary and actually pretty hilarious and fitting for what it is.
He can't do that? He's the freaking
GAME MASTER of course he can do it!
Not only that, but for once having a basis in reality helps Arino. His show, Game Center CX or Retro Game Master, is immensely popular in Japan. So popular in fact, he has been able to meet Miyamoto, Iwata, IGA, Kojima and many, many others from the Japanese developer scene. I'm fairly sure he has even met Sakurai on the show. It only goes to show how Arino is not simply another throwaway real life rep like Reggie or Sakurai, but a genuine cultural icon for games.
I can't think of a better rep for retro than this guy, even if it's pretty silly how it'd actually work, stranger things have happened.
1% Chance: This is an outside, super,
super unlikely candidate, not least because, despite the awesomeness of the character and the inherent uniqueness, it's still a third-party character. That's the real problem, although it is a special circumstance if there ever was one. It means Arino gets in as an actual character and it's the biggest shock
and retro rep imaginable. There's also no doubt Arino, who has given so much to the Japanese retro scene (by visiting retro stores on his show and advertising games, at times for Nintendo) is a deserving candidate, more so than any other tacky real-life person.
100% Want: An absolutely insane but remarkably good choice for a character. We're only getting one giant head character and it shouldn't be Andross, it should be this guy! Not only is he perfect for retro, he's an actual comedian who can wit his way through the game and insult or ridicule the other characters, as he does in Retro Game Challenge and on his TV show. This would be the impossible rep I'd truly want.
Other M Ridley
50% Chance: It's the latest Metroid game where Ridley appears, but unlike Samus who has already been given a look for Super Metroid, the Prime series and only now gets an update for Other M, Ridley would only just be getting a playable slot. Obviously his normal and transformed appearance is in Brawl as the two bosses, but it doesn't count when he's going to be significantly sized down from that.
There's a good chance, around half, that it'll be a totally new design based on a conglomerate of every Ridley design. The Other M design is not only huge (haha you said too big!) but it's awkwardly shaped to make Ridley super long. It's a horrible design to choose for him unless it's already heavily modified to be an entirely new shape anyway, at which point you have to question if it would even count as his "Other M design." I think not.
15% Want: Eh. Ridley I want, but I've not played Other M and judgments on the game aside, looking at that design of Ridley, I'm not a fan. It's too slick and... I don't know what it is, it just doesn't look right. It makes Ridley into too much of a generic monster in my opinion. The Prime design was all monstrous and intimidating without it looking unnatural for him, but this design doesn't sit right with me. It'd be nice to have Ridley regardless, but keep the Other M look.
Jack Frost Prediction: 5%
You guys seriously overdid it on the nominations. A third-party, but from a company on the up that has close ties to Nintendo.
Paper Mario Stage Prediction: 57%
The character may not be too popular, but a stage from the series isn't that unlikely.
N x5
