Funny, because I've felt the same thing reading your responses.
The thing is, you quite bluntly refuse to believe certain indisputable things that I say, particularly about my OWN opinion. Despite my statements, you seem to have this imperial opinion that I do not like Snake, though I've stated very clearly the opposite of this. Additionally, I have played his games- though that is irrelevant to a truly legendary character, who supercedes not only his games but the entire video game industry. The fact that you seem to fall back onto that point makes me think your definition of a legendary character is merely just a great character, or some quite minor lessening of the gravitas the word truly carries. That being the case, I will concede that, I'm sure by some of the remedial standards set forth for what 'legendary' means to a few, that he must, in fact, be considered 'legendary' to that sub par definition.
I even said earlier that Snake isn't a household name. I said he was a legendary character in
gaming, meaning that he's truly an icon of the genre, just not quite out of it. Now, if we're talking about characters that absolutely have to meet that criteria,then what is Mega Man doing there? He is an enormously popular character, but I can guarantee you he's less well known than Sonic or Pac-Man.
But that's not a bad thing. We're at the point in Smash that 3rd Party characters aren't in range of those guys anymore. Additionally, as I have already said before, I only support Snake so much because of the impact his Smash inclusion had on me. After these 3 characters, I'd say Snake is a pretty iconic character, one that already has history with Super Smash Bros. That's pretty cool, and I think that history should continue. I have the motto, "Once a Smash Brother, Always a Smash Brother", and I'm not leaving Snake out.
We can debate the word all you wish- but the bottom line is that Snake is not in Smash 4. He may have been the first into the game as third party, but he was also the first third party to be considered expendable. If one is a point, then the other is just as much a point. If you honestly did not understand that was the point that I made, then no wonder we are on different wavelengths. However, I attribute it to the diehard nature of the fanaticism, which is what I criticized in the first place
Fair, however I feel as if Snake can always come back in the future. Should fans show their desire for him to return, as a Smash Bros. veteran, I believe they could come together and make the decision. (No need to be condescending though, sheesh)
If his core games can exist just as easily without him in it, then he is obviously not vital. I will admit that having not played every game in the series, I am not an expert on this. However, if he is not used in every core game, then by definition, he is not vital to the game.
Let me use another example to show you how this point falls apart.
Say that for one book of
his story, Harry Potter was left out of the story. Just one. But was rather written from the perspective of his father, showing the past events to make more sense of the current ones. That's what Snake Eater is. Snake Eater is the only game being a part of
Snake's story in which he does not appear. He's the main character in MGS1, very important side character in MGS2 (with Raiden, who was called Snake at the beginning of the game. Not to mention you play as Snake at the beginning of the game as well), and MGSIV, in which his story is finished.
Snake Eater follows Big Boss, and covers the legacy that Solid Snake is set to follow. Post MGSIV, sure, Solid Snake isn't there; it's mainly Big Boss. However, this matters not. I already covered why it doesn't.
When Snake was put into Brawl, he was an amalgamation of both Solid Snake and Big Boss, covering every appearance and essentially any game both would be in. So this point, as I said before, doesn't matter much.
I pointed out the one, SINGLE, trap move that he has, actually. If you think that translates into his gameplay, then I don't think you've got a grasp on how much gameplay a single character can have.
Okay yeah, you're really wrong here.
Snake is built to use a trap/stage control moveset. For this example, we'll look at Battlefield. On one platform, Snake places a C4. On another, he places his Dsmash. Now the player is forced to maneuver around those explosives/traps. To further control their space, he can throw grenades, guiding them in respect to where he wants his opponent to go. You can further chase your opponent with the Nikita missiles. Arguably, you can use the mortar and time it to arc back down to create more peril for your opponent. Sounds like a trap/stage control moveset to me. Ask any competitive player who has played Snake. They'll tell you something very similar.
How would you incorporate stealth into gameplay? That isn't something that I bother to think about because when I do tend to create a moveset for a character, I get upset that I prefer my ideas to Sakurai.
That said, to again reference PSASBR, Sly is a very stealthy character. Even Nathan Drake is to a better extent than Snake in Smash.
Here's the difference between Sly and Snake. Snake doesn't use invisibility. If Snake had that, that would be against his character. Nathan Drake, from what I remember, wasn't much of a stealth character, and he isn't meant to be. You want proof that Snake was made to be like his MGS self? Okay.
>AAA combo- actual move from Metal Gear Solid
>AA tilt- from cutscene from Metal Gear Solid
>Nikita- weapon from Metal Gear Solid
>Grenade- typical military weapon, also in Metal Gear Solid
>Cypher- from Metal Gear Solid 2
>C4- from MGS series, even with Butterfly reference to Big Boss
>Grabs characterize stealth through choking pummel, laying the opponent on the ground, using
CQC (Close Quarters Combat, something vital to Snake and Big Bosses training throughout the series)
>Can crawl on ground...stealthfully, like soldiers trying to creep up on their enemies without being seen.
>Taunt is the box, arguably one of the most iconic things about Snake. The next best thing might be his cigarettes, but that's not appropriate for Smash imo.
>RPG- used for boss fights, also typical explosive
>Dash attack- animation to get into crawling from running
>mortar- used in MGS IV
The only moves I would argue don't have origin are his aerials, his utilt, and his down tilt. However, again, if we want to talk about characters not being entirely accurate, Ness can't learn some of the moves he uses in Smash in his home games. They took liberties. They got Snake's moveset pretty nicely I think.
You are so gun-ho with this OPINION that he is 'one of the most unique characters in the game,' but I stress opinion, because that is a soundless claim you make. He is no more unique than at least half the roster, and is another big example of your fanaticism taking lead. I'd like to hear what it is about him that you think IS so unique, as far as gameplay goes.
My reply before this summarizes it, but it's a widespread belief that Snake is pretty freaking unique compared to the rest of the cast. Not to mention that his appearance and status as a character make him unique off the bat. I'll say it again.
No other character plays like Snake does. The way you play him with the trap setting and stage control is something that nobody else can do currently in Smash Bros. Sure, maybe one move is replicated by another character, but they don't play the same as him. That's what makes him so unique from the rest of the cast. That much is irrefutable.
My claim is that to a true fan of Snake in Metal Gear, I find it funny that he is considered to be well done, because he doesn't have a playstyle that reflects much anything of his games, particularly any unique factor.
Already shown why this is wrong. This is a case where an opinion CAN be wrong, because it isn't based on correct facts.
The fact is, Snake's moveset could be given a visual overhaul, and it could apply to dozens of other characters, and is not indicative of his franchise because you don't have to be stealthy to pull any of it off. I'm sorry that you, as a fan of the genre, think that if he played as such, he would not be fun as a character.
This is like the Ridley debate except worse.
Ridley can't be in because he's too big. Snake can't be in because his moveset isn't stealthy. Except a large portion of his moveset is taken
directly from his series.
Again, i've already covered why this whole moveset debate is wrong on your end. Your claim is that it isn't accurate and isn't stealthy. It doesn't
have to be stealthy to be good. It's accurate with a large portion of the moves. There are moves made up for almost every character in the game. Alternatively, Pac-Man uses everything in the kitchen sink in his moveset. If he only did what he did, it might be pretty boring. Liberties were taken, and he's super fun to play as. It's all about being fun to play as in this game. Snake has done that for me, and apparently a ton of other people.
EDIT: Just found this. Lots of interesting stuff here on Snake in Smash that I didn't even know:
http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Brawl