Congratulations, Min Min! ARMS character(s) for Smash discussion

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Depends on your definition of main characters.

In the case of "who would have more than three lines in a movie adaptation" Coyle and Max would both qualify as main characters. In the case of "who's on the boxart" that would be only Spring Man and Ribbon Girl.

So really, it's no wonder why we got the guessing game at all; no one is sure who the "main" character is, exactly, going by this criteria.

Yeah, but you have to think about people who might have somehow never heard of ARMS.

If the first ARMS character they see is Mechanica in Smash, they'd get the idea that ARMS is a mech fighting game, which is not the case at all.

Even if it wasn't for that reason, I still doubt she will be the one.

 

[OnyanRings]

Not sure if it was already posted here but here's an interesting concept that could somewhat work.

I think the real issue is that we would be losing a lot of what makes the characters unique in the first place, they'd lose their individuality to fit a singular build. But if the smash team decides to put more emphasis on the Arms themselves rather than the characters wielding them, then perhaps it could work.

(And if they do take this route, i hope they at least change the victory animation for each alt, then i'd be more than happy to accept this decision).

Edit : images are broken again so here's a direct link to the picture.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Not sure if it was already posted here but here's an interesting concept that could somewhat work.

I think the real issue is that we would be losing a lot of what makes the characters unique in the first place, they'd lose their individuality to fit a singular build. But if the smash team decides to put more emphasis on the Arms themselves rather than the characters wielding them, then perhaps it could work.

(And if they do take this route, i hope they at least change the victory animation for each alt, then i'd be more than happy to accept this decision).

Your image isn't working, since Smashboards is wonky (again).

Although I personally would swap Twintelle and Mechanica out for practicality reasons, this seems somewhat sensible otherwise.

 

[meleebrawler]

So really, it's no wonder why we got the guessing game at all; no one is sure who the "main" character is, exactly, going by this criteria.



Even if it wasn't for that reason, I still doubt she will be the one.

There is often a divide between "marketable" main characters and "story" main characters. Soulcalibur is a great example of this, characters like Mitsurigi and Ivy show up in promotion and have perfect attendance, but rarely do anything meaningful to advance the main plot. Meanwhile, the characters who get directly involved in the fight versus Soul Edge/Nightmare tends to rotate in each game. First it was Sophitia and Taki, then it was Kilik, Xianghua and Maxi, then Raphael of all people, and so on.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Well Dr Coyle's ending does hint that she and Max Brass used to be at least friends before there was a nasty falling out and she went mad with power from her artificial ARMS. And got contacts.

I knew it! The contacts drove her insane!

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

So I think the ARMS fighter will have a thing like K. Rool's belly armor. The fighter has the longest range but if their arms receive enough damage they'll break and put the fighter in a stunned state.

They don't need to impliment everything. Just making the punches reflectable would be enough.

What you said does sound interesting though, and would be a fun risk-reward mechanic if done well.

OK, but that's kind of like saying M. Bison (Dictator) or Shao Kahn are the main characters of their games, simply for driving the plots as antagonists tend to do.

The main characters of fighting games, especially those that involve martial arts fighting tournaments, rarely go beyond "loves fighting" or "striving to be a master", no matter how much backstory they get. In the early days of fighting games, you had to go out of your way to even learn there was a plot beyond the tournament du jour.

By that logic, Spring Man is the only logical choice for Smash if they stick to the "main characters first" pattern.

Not saying it's wrong to think it'll be Spring Man. Just pointing out that in that point of view, he's the only main character.

There is one character that is implied to be more significant than he lets on, though. Kid Cobra is the only known person in the current age to have had ARMS since birth, yet he vehemently refuses to talk about himself or even his family to anyone who asks, nor will he ever remove his mask/helmet. Doesn't help that even his body seems o be somewhat unnaturally shaped...

I... actually forgot Kid Cobra

But isn't that why Sakurai explains each fighter's game of origin and movesets for an hour to give us the gist of things. A lot of people do watch his streams so he can just drop "No, it's not a robot fighting game."

There's been over 17 million copies of Smash Ultimate sold and about 2 million copies of ARMS sold (pretty good for a first time, imo).

While there's a lot of people who watch Sakurai's streams, the views they get are not even close to how many people own the game he made.

This makes it very possible to have a sizable amount of players who don't know ARMS and never watch the streams.

 

[fogbadge]

Well Coyle is. Max Brass is more of an important side character. (Reigning champ but his role as final boss gets hijacked by Coyle)

Not a lot, but at least it's somewhat consistent because the only characters with a considerable amount of fleshing out are people connected to either ARMS League (Max Brass) or ARMS Labs (Coyle, Hedlok, Helix, Springtron).

Even the boxart mascots barely have anything. The most we have is that Spring Man isn't the first fighter with that name, and even then, that comes from what little we've seen of the graphic novel rather than the game itself.

That's the big reason why I personally feel that Dr. Coyle is the true "main" character in ARMS. And besides, not every main character is a hero.

Depends on your definition of main characters.

In the case of "who would have more than three lines in a movie adaptation" Coyle and Max would both qualify as main characters. In the case of "who's on the boxart" that would be only Spring Man and Ribbon Girl.

the main character is who the story follows as each one of them has their own story all 15 of them are main characters

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

There's been over 17 million copies of Smash Ultimate sold and about 2 million copies of ARMS sold (pretty good for a first time, imo).

While there's a lot of people who watch Sakurai's streams, the views they get are not even close to how many people own the game he made.

This makes it very possible to have a sizable amount of players who don't know ARMS and never watch the streams.

I can believe that, there's a not insignificant number of new players and viewers that never even heard of SNK, let alone ARMS. ARMS does at least have the benefit of coming from a company that's known in mainstream circles.

 

[Staarih]

So I think the ARMS fighter will have a thing like K. Rool's belly armor. The fighter has the longest range but if their arms receive enough damage they'll break and put the fighter in a stunned state.

While a neat idea, the less gimmicks the better imo and I feel like the long range will already be a gimmick on its own. They’ll likely be a slow character or with more ending lag after attacks to make up for the range though.

Also, in other news, Spring Man took the win against Ribbon Girl in the newly revived Party Crash.

 

[Sigran101]

I'm just happy ARMS is coming because I feel like the series has a lot of potential. The gameplay for the first game was weak but, good lord, the character designs are probably overall best for a Nintendo series since Wario Ware, the music is incredible, and the lore is fun without taking itself too seriously. It's a series that had a lot of undercooked ideas for the first game so it deserves another try and I think Smash all but guarantees that. Another thing that's great about ARMS is that its developers very obviously cared about it and treated it like a passion project, even if not everything worked out. This all said, I feel like it deserves to be recognized and join the ranks of Smash.

I completely agree. I dropped ARMS pretty quickly and only played a little bit each time a new character came out, but I would totally be game for a sequel. I have faith in the IP.

What people claiming "shill" need to remember is that Sakurai said the only reason ARMS didn't get a character in base game is because it came out too late. Given that the first pass was already planned, character pack 6 was the first open slot available for ARMS. And sure enough, they rushed to get it in. Better late than never. This was always something that was supposed to happen, it just took a while for it to be possible. It does not have to be tied to a sequel. Although I would argue if ARMS 2 really is happening, that's all the more reason it deserves a spot.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I completely agree. I dropped ARMS pretty quickly and only played a little bit each time a new character came out, but I would totally be game for a sequel. I have faith in the IP.

What people claiming "shill" need to remember is that Sakurai said the only reason ARMS didn't get a character in base game is because it came out too late. Given that the first pass was already planned, character pack 6 was the first open slot available for ARMS. And sure enough, they rushed to get it in. Better late than never. This was always something that was supposed to happen, it just took a while for it to be possible. It does not have to be tied to a sequel. Although I would argue if ARMS 2 really is happening, that's all the more reason it deserves a spot.

I fully agree with this. Sometimes a character is included simply because the fans, director or even higher-ups want it so, with no other underlying reason.

I mean, just look at , they came in solely through fan demand and with no related release coming any time soon, with Microsoft's Phil Spencer even clarifying that they would focus on the Xbox brand with no current plans for further Switch support, months after the first Ori and Cuphead released on Switch.

 

[Fatmanonice]

Plus, as a Nintendo fan of almost 30 years, Nintendo fans are a fickle bunch in which we complain about a lack of new IPs, Nintendo creates new ones, and then people proceed to whine about how the next major Mario/Zelda isn't out yet. In this sense, ARMS joins the ranks of series like Pikmin in which it definitely has an appreciative fanbase but may never be a AAA series. That's perfectly fine. I don't think most realize how out of the norm Splatoon's runaway success was, especially with the Wii U's anemic install base. ARMS is no Splatoon but it's not Codename S.T.E.A.M either.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Plus, as a Nintendo fan of almost 30 years, Nintendo fans are a fickle bunch in which we complain about a lack of new IPs, Nintendo creates new ones, and then people proceed to whine about how the next major Mario/Zelda isn't out yet. In this sense, ARMS joins the ranks of series like Pikmin in which it definitely has an appreciative fanbase but may never be a AAA series. That's perfectly fine. I don't think most realize how out of the norm Splatoon's runaway success was, especially with the Wii U's anemic install base. ARMS is no Splatoon but it's not Codename S.T.E.A.M either.

Thanks for reminding me about Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.. Now I have to be depressed that nobody bought that game.

 

[zferolie]

Thanks for reminding me about Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.. Now I have to be depressed that nobody bought that game.

I had that game and enjoyed it. But Nintendo has a lot of games they have just given up on. Star tropics, Sin and Punishment, Golden sun, Drill Dozer, Shin Onegashima, Famicom Detective club, Panel De Pon, and many more. They really need to bring back and revive some of their older series I think

 

[Sigran101]

Not sure if it was already posted here but here's an interesting concept that could somewhat work.

I think the real issue is that we would be losing a lot of what makes the characters unique in the first place, they'd lose their individuality to fit a singular build. But if the smash team decides to put more emphasis on the Arms themselves rather than the characters wielding them, then perhaps it could work.

(And if they do take this route, i hope they at least change the victory animation for each alt, then i'd be more than happy to accept this decision).

Edit : images are broken again so here's a direct link to the picture.

Not gonna lie, this is utterly absurd. How in the hell would mechanica work as a recolor of Min Min? None of these make any sense aside from Springtron.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I'm still hoping that Nintendo will try up-ressing some later 3DS games for Switch in a lean year like Ever Oasis.

Though considering the mass productivity drops world over, the next year or so may be a heck of a lean year.

 

[Fatmanonice]

Thanks for reminding me about Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.. Now I have to be depressed that nobody bought that game.

I got it used but got bored a few chapters in. To be fair, strategy games are really hard to make appealing to a wide audience which is why Fire Emblem being an A list series after 30 years is something of a small miracle.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I'm still hoping that Nintendo will try up-ressing some later 3DS games for Switch in a lean year like Ever Oasis.

Though considering the mass productivity drops world over, the next year or so may be a heck of a lean year.

The PS5 and new Xbox will literally not have any games at launch, at this rate. I do hope we'll get that rumored Mario collection in the meantime...

At least indie developers aren't affected, and Animal Crossing will distract most people anyway.

 

[Sigran101]

The PS5 and new Xbox will literally not have any games at launch, at this rate. I do hope we'll get that rumored Mario collection in the meantime...

At least indie developers aren't affected, and Animal Crossing will distract most people anyway.

Yeah no. Animal Crossing is not going to distract most people from nothing else coming out. It'll distract die hard Animal Crossing fans. Everyone else will still want other games. Most people don't only want Animal Crossing.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Yeah no. Animal Crossing is not going to distract most people from nothing else coming out. It'll distract die hard Animal Crossing fans. Everyone else will still want other games. Most people don't only want Animal Crossing.

Sure, but what other choice do they have? Unless players have jobs with steady accounts without needing much (if any) interaction outside of home so they can buy things digitally, they're left at an impasse with nothing but their backlog and collections to play with.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I wonder if game publishers will put out ads for older games to bring them back into public consciousness without doing a big remake. Like how the BBC is going to show the London Olympics again in place of the Tokyo ones.

 

[Staarih]

I'm still hoping that Nintendo will try up-ressing some later 3DS games for Switch in a lean year like Ever Oasis.

Though considering the mass productivity drops world over, the next year or so may be a heck of a lean year.

I think Nintendo made a statement a while back about wanting to continue some 3DS franchises on the Switch so we may see something on that front at some point. Ever Oasis seems like a good candidate but all I really need is to not let Kid Icarus die after its revival.

But yeah, it is indeed great to see them still give ARMS attention. Doesn’t hurt that it is developed in-house by the Mario Kart team, probably makes it higher on any priority-list than outsourced games.

 

[OnyanRings]

Not gonna lie, this is utterly absurd. How in the hell would mechanica work as a recolor of Min Min? None of these make any sense aside from Springtron.

I think by recolor they mean color alterations A.K.A just references, not full model swaps.

 

[fogbadge]

What people claiming "shill" need to remember is that Sakurai said the only reason ARMS didn't get a character in base game is because it came out too late.

and that being 19th best selling switch game probably counts for something

Plus, as a Nintendo fan of almost 30 years, Nintendo fans are a fickle bunch in which we complain about a lack of new IPs, Nintendo creates new ones, and then people proceed to whine about how the next major Mario/Zelda isn't out yet. In this sense, ARMS joins the ranks of series like Pikmin in which it definitely has an appreciative fanbase but may never be a AAA series. That's perfectly fine. I don't think most realize how out of the norm Splatoon's runaway success was, especially with the Wii U's anemic install base. ARMS is no Splatoon but it's not Codename S.T.E.A.M either.

isnt that just the way?

 

[meleebrawler]

Plus, as a Nintendo fan of almost 30 years, Nintendo fans are a fickle bunch in which we complain about a lack of new IPs, Nintendo creates new ones, and then people proceed to whine about how the next major Mario/Zelda isn't out yet. In this sense, ARMS joins the ranks of series like Pikmin in which it definitely has an appreciative fanbase but may never be a AAA series. That's perfectly fine. I don't think most realize how out of the norm Splatoon's runaway success was, especially with the Wii U's anemic install base. ARMS is no Splatoon but it's not Codename S.T.E.A.M either.

Of course, there are these fans too:

I had that game and enjoyed it. But Nintendo has a lot of games they have just given up on. Star tropics, Sin and Punishment, Golden sun, Drill Dozer, Shin Onegashima, Famicom Detective club, Panel De Pon, and many more. They really need to bring back and revive some of their older series I think

Most of these games have since been out-competed by other companies. Bringing back Detective Club to go up against the likes of Phoenix Wright/Professor Layton, or Panel De Pon against Puyo Puyo is a tough prospect.

You'll have to talk to Game Freak about Drill Dozer. And Nintendo has their hands full trying to keep their main rail shooter Star Fox afloat. And to be quite frank, I think Golden Sun just didn't do enough to set itself apart from other JRPGs like the Mario ones or Xenoblade. There are a lot of those if you dig in Nintendo's catalogue, and none of them apart from the two I mentioned have caught on. Why would they? How could they, against the likes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest?

 

[ivanlerma]

I think Nintendo made a statement a while back about wanting to continue some 3DS franchises on the Switch so we may see something on that front at some point. Ever Oasis seems like a good candidate but all I really need is to not let Kid Icarus die after its revival.

But yeah, it is indeed great to see them still give ARMS attention. Doesn’t hurt that it is developed in-house by the Mario Kart team, probably makes it higher on any priority-list than outsourced games.

i'd be up to a Fire Emblem Awakening release on switch, though that would be difficult to do.

 

[8-peacock-8]

Not gonna lie, this is utterly absurd. How in the hell would mechanica work as a recolor of Min Min? None of these make any sense aside from Springtron.

Putting the colors as an alternate color. Not a costume.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I think Nintendo made a statement a while back about wanting to continue some 3DS franchises on the Switch so we may see something on that front at some point. Ever Oasis seems like a good candidate but all I really need is to not let Kid Icarus die after its revival.

But yeah, it is indeed great to see them still give ARMS attention. Doesn’t hurt that it is developed in-house by the Mario Kart team, probably makes it higher on any priority-list than outsourced games.

Kid Icarus, I wouldn't hold my breath, since Sak made it a point to leave almost no room for a sequel with Uprising. A port would be the most one could expect for that.

Wario Ware, on the other hand, better have continued support, as the dwindling consumer interest for 3DS didn't hold back Gold's sales too badly.

Although the fact that the Mario Kart team made ARMS at all is eyebrow-raising, especially considering how averse they are to using new/lesser-known characters for anything otherwise. Then again, ARMS was originally going to star established Nintendo characters, wasn't it? Guess that's Yabuki's influence for you.

 

[Fatmanonice]

Multiple ARMS fighters only works to a degree because there's a lot of unique body types and gimmicks. I was originally on this idea and then I realized how much that would take away. For example, Ninjara's smoke dash is his unique gimmick so making him an ALT of Springman would be kind of wrong. Same if Min-Min was an ALT of Ribbongirl. Even in the case of Springtron, it's a Pit/Dark Pit situation because Springtron has a stun gimmick that Springman doesn't. That said, I don't think they could make an all encompassing ARMS character without largely ignoring most of what makes the cast unique to begin with.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

For those that doubt Biff can fight

 

[GolisoPower]

For those that doubt Biff can fight

Good gawd, I forgot Biff had such a baritone voice. But dang, sounds like he's got some skill under his belt.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Multiple ARMS fighters only works to a degree because there's a lot of unique body types and gimmicks. I was originally on this idea and then I realized how much that would take away. For example, Ninjara's smoke dash is his unique gimmick so making him an ALT of Springman would be kind of wrong. Same if Min-Min was an ALT of Ribbongirl. Even in the case of Springtron, it's a Pit/Dark Pit situation because Springtron has a stun gimmick that Springman doesn't. That said, I don't think they could make an all encompassing ARMS character without largely ignoring most of what makes the cast unique to begin with.

On the flipside, this is the most likely the only time we'll ever get an ARMS fighter, so if it's not Spring Man, whoever they go with better be the most fun one they can muster for this game, otherwise it'll be like F-Zero all over again.

Nothing against the captain, but fans of the series would have loved getting anyone new.

 

[Sigran101]

Sure, but what other choice do they have? Unless players have jobs with steady accounts without needing much (if any) interaction outside of home so they can buy things digitally, they're left at an impasse with nothing but their backlog and collections to play with.

First off, in the case of disposable income you're assuming "most people" already bought Animal Crossing or plan to buy it before anything else, which is straight up not true. As far as people who do have income, there are other games besides Animal Crossing. Many people will buy digital games. Many people own other systems. Many people have PSNow or XBOX Gamepass. I for one am deep into Persona 5 Royal right now and have FFVII and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition pre loaded and ready to go. My friend just got Breath of the Wild for the first time the other day and that'll likely keep her occupied during the lockdown. Many gamers also just have other interests. My best friend is completely absorbed in a new anime right now despite Animal Crossing just coming out. Life simulator games are pretty niche. Not everyone even likes games like Animal Crossing. Many people will be completely satisfied with Animal Crossing, but more will not be. Sorry, I just get tired of people overhyping the series so much as if it's bigger than Mario.

 

[MattX20]

I imagine Biff is guarenteed a spirit battle on the Spirit Board for the ARMS fighter

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

First off, in the case of disposable income you're assuming "most people" already bought Animal Crossing or plan to buy it before anything else, which is straight up not true. As far as people who do have income, there are other games besides Animal Crossing. Many people will buy digital games. Many people own other systems. Many people have PSNow or XBOX Gamepass. I for one am deep into Persona 5 Royal right now and have FFVII and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition pre loaded and ready to go. My friend just got Breath of the Wild for the first time the other day and that'll likely keep her occupied during the lockdown. Many gamers also just have other interests. My best friend is completely absorbed in a new anime right now despite Animal Crossing just coming out. Life simulator games are pretty niche. Not everyone even likes games like Animal Crossing. Many people will be completely satisfied with Animal Crossing, but more will not be. Sorry, I just get tired of people overhyping the series so much as if it's bigger than Mario.

I'm not hyping it man, I'm just saying that folks need something to get them to relax, get away from it all and socialize with folks while staying indoors until things eventually get better. A social sim like this seems like the logical option right now, since there's no "end" objective and less conductive to competitive behavior

It could be worse, at least we got actual hobbies:

Besides, I've been waiting months for a Super Mario 3D World announcement, and I've yet to see it...

 

[SwitchButton]

On the flipside, this is the most likely the only time we'll ever get an ARMS fighter, so if it's not Spring Man, whoever they go with better be the most fun one they can muster for this game, otherwise it'll be like F-Zero all over again.

Nothing against the captain, but fans of the series would have loved getting anyone new.

You dont think the next Smash would add another ARMS character? Considering how many characters it has and how a sequel is 100% coming I think more ARMS reps in the next game are a super safe bet. They still need to put Spring Man into the next game remember, assuming he isnt the dlc fighter

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

You dont think the next Smash would add another ARMS character? Considering how many characters it has and how a sequel is 100% coming I think more ARMS reps in the next game are a super safe bet. They still need to put Spring Man into the next game remember, assuming he isnt the dlc fighter

Well, that's a fair point. Granted, this rides entirely on something that doesn't exist yet, but it certainly would be a good meal ticket just in case they feel funny about leaving the main guy out for the time being.

 

[MattX20]

Right now, even one ARMS character playable is a better case than nothing. It gives a new IP its chance to shine.

 

[Twin Shot]

I really enjoyed ARMs and liked dipping into the Crash Bash this weekend for a few rounds.

The game is bright and colorful and has a great cast of characters and some really cool ideas. It was a good start to a Franchise, if they add to it a little bit in terms of lore/story/some mechanics to the sequel they could really move that franchise forward (even the newer pictures they added with all the characters did a lot and I was excited to see that when I jumped in this weekend.)

I interpret the inclusion of an ARMS charcater to mean that Nintendo and the team do have plans for a sequel (but I do not think the Rep will be from ARMS 2 even if they announce it at the same time)

 

[Koopaul]

They don't need to impliment everything. Just making the punches reflectable would be enough.

What you said does sound interesting though, and would be a fun risk-reward mechanic if done well.

I think one of Sakurai's tweets said that he wanted to impliment a lot of ARMS' unique mechanics. This might be one of them. This would be a character with the longest disjoints in the game and potentially powerful to boot. I think arms breaking might be a way to balance it, but who knows. All I know is that Sakurai likes to put in all sorts of wacky gimmicks for these DLC fighters. I'm not saying it's something I'd want but it's something that might happen.

Anyway, what do you think this fighter's stage entrance will be? And what will the ARMS victory music be?