I guess I missed majority of Steve Discussion, but I do that here along with whatever is going on
--------------------
With Regards to the Trailer, I didn't know it was Steve until he showed up. I didn't pop off for Steve himself, However I did pop off for Enderman since that's the Closet thing we going to get to a Creepypasta being playable in the game. Sonic Punching Mario into Minecraft was a really fun Meme/Joke, and Mario's Face looking at Steve was really expressive. Yes
When it comes to Steve Himself, I'm not too much into Minecraft. I did think we'd get some sort of Minecraft content, but wasn't think Steve himself would be playable, mostly due to complications of how to Implement him, but it's the biggest game in the World and it's gotten many Requests, so it should get something in the game
The stage is Okay, if a little less Crazy than what I was expecting with a Minecraft stage, but the Stages added in Smash Ultimate have been really toned down compared to Previous games. The Music though is the Ultimate example of Quality over Quality. There's only 7 Songs, but all the Songs are Very, VERY good
I messed around with Enderman after they released, but then figured out they are not for me. I think there are just too many Complications with them when playing as them.
When it comes to Fighting against them and other aspects of the character, I think they have some of my Favorite Animations in the game. I really like that they just ported the Minecraft models and Animations to Smash instead of trying to mold Minecraft in Smash's Style. Their Tumble Animation is definitely my favorite in the game and is pretty funny. For Fighting them, It's pretty hectic and kind of Scary, but I do like fighting against them because there's just always interesting things going on and like I said, they have some really good animations
---------------------------------
When it Comes to Geno, I think he is a character that fits Perfectly into Smash Bros, but doesn't have the Merits to actually get in there as a Playable character
He's a Literal Doll coming to Life. That was, and probably still is the Concept of the Smash Series as a whole, dating back to Smash 64. He has Cool Moves and Mechanics, he has his Serious Moments, but also some of his Quirky Moments, and He's definitely made quite an Impact on People.
His only one Real Appearance in SMRPG, along with being owned by Square, kills him at the end. I don't even think Square is the major issue since Geno has had Mii Costume and Spirit. I think it helps because Square probably is gonna want a Cut of Playable Geno, though I wonder if they care about being heavily involved in the process of Development with a character like Geno.
I really think if SMRPG came back in some way, and is shown to be a success with Modern Audiences, we can take Geno in Smash much more seriously. I think the fact that he was, and even still is being taken seriously despite all the things going against him is one of the most impressive things in Smash Speculation. Hopefully that SMRPG Remake Rumor comes back again to fruition
-------------------------------------------
Not that I think Nahobino is the last fighter, but
Snippet of an SMTV interview
People have used "SMTV isn't out yet" as an argument against Nahobino, but I think that changes if Nintendo and Atlus originally assumed it would release smoothly in 2020 when they were finalizing details for Fighter Pass 2. A 2020 release would've given Sakurai plenty of time to play it and work on a character meant for release by the end of 2021. It's a similar scenario to Three Houses, which went from 2018 to 2019.
So I guess the topic I want to raise here is, how would a game intended for Smash promotion being delayed affect the fighter pack?
If you want to Take Imran's Speculation seriously, I do remember he said that Byleth might have been a Base game character if Three Houses gotten Delayed. The game was supposed to come out in 2018 I believe, but got pushed to 2019. I think it would have been harder to Represent Byleth in the base game though because there was Development on the entirety of the game to go along with it, unlike with DLC which is focused on the DLC Characters
In regards to Nahobino, I Imagine in this case, Nahobino whether SMTV was delayed or not would have been in FP2 if he was hypothetically one of the chosen characters. I think even if the game was undelayed, Nahobino might have been among the Last character also just because of how these Promotion characters work
I think the main thing that's gonna change is instead of putting in a Character from a Very Recent game that people have played, we've now come to putting in a character from an Upcoming game, people haven't played yet, as DLC. It's up to Nintendo if that Idea would work for them
The thing about Nahobino is that I Imagine his Gimmick would be the Demon Summoning, and that's a gimmick all the MC's of SMT have had, and I Imagine the actual Demons themselves were gonna be ones that are constant in the Series (something like Jack Frost). So I don't think Sakurai has to necessarily play the game to figure out that portion of the moveset.
And Smash alot of the times gives Characters attacks they don't normally use in their home game (mostly seen with Normal Attacks), with Joker being an example as he doesn't use the Knife as much in Persona 5 as he does here. I think the fact Nahobino has a Laser Sword might be all Sakurai needs to know to be able to Create the character
I think the main thing that's gonna suffer in the Process is perhaps the Personality angle, as that factors in how to represent characters in Smash in terms of Animations, Taunts, how they actually Attack, etc. 2019/2020 SMTV might have been far enough in development for the Personality to be visible, if the Design of Nahobino was made in 2016.
So I think for Nahobino, the main thing that's gonna change is pretty much the whole mission of the character. Instead of representing a Game that had just come out very recently and people are playing now, you're enow representing a character from an Upcoming game at the time of Release.
Personally I would really dislike the idea of Nahobino especially at this point, not even because of the character themselves (because they look pretty cool in actuality), but just because of what they stand for, and also because of who My Most wanted is, but I'm gonna remain unbiased here. Due to the Design being made in 2016, that does make the idea of Nahobino being in the game more likely, since Nintendo announced the game in 2017, when Nahobino's Design had been made. I think ultimately for Nahobino to get into Smash, it's gonna come down to these things
-Did Nintendo want another Character that comes from a game "People would be playing now"?
-Is SMT worthy of being a Game to be given this distinction? Is it worth the trouble?
-Would Atlus/Sega play along with the idea?
-Due to the Delay, is Nintendo willing to stick with the character in spite of the change of what this character is gonna represent, or has the Delay now made things too risky
I think for me, I can see all of these factors being in favor of SMT getting in, but also not.
Nintendo might have only been focused on making sure Steve and Kazuya get into the game, since those were the 2 characters that Nintendo were really rallying behind, and would fit with Sakurai's words of "1 or 2 Extra fighters intially". Perhaps when the full Pass was greenlit, they might have wanted to put in a Recent character, but perhaps since Smash would be 3 year old game at this point when FP2 finishes, perhaps it too Risky
I can Imagine Atlus Playing along with the Idea. I could also See Sega playing along, but I also Imagine they have Sonic on their mind, since 2021 is the 30th Anniversary
I also think Nintendo might be willing to change course in Direction due to the delay, if they were down with Nahobino in Smash
Really the main thing that I think is the biggest factor against Nahobino is whether Nintendo would think it's Worth it. I'm not exactly the most sure
The thing to consider is that it's Persona 5 might not have been the most prioritized on Nintendo's List of DLC Characters like something like Dragon Quest. Three Houses, Minecraft, and Tekken were, since all those 4 franchises had Nintendo listed as a very major factor into their inclusion. Shin Megami is more niche than Persona
There's also the thing to consider is that Not only is Shin Megami Tensi a 3rd party franchise, which would likely requires Licensing fees and such, but that it doesn't actually seem Nintendo has a major hand in the development in the game. I believe they are publishing the game in certain regions, but it doesn't seem like they have much of a major hand in that. This is a case Similiar to Daemon X Machina (which just received spirits) rather than something like Bayonetta. So It's not like Nintendo is Directly benefitting if the game Sells or Flops
Speaking of Bayonetta, the thing to consider is that Bayonetta never got into Smash to Promote her games and such. I'm not even gonna factor in the Ballot because Bayonetta was chosen before the Ballot was even a thing, but she was most likely chosen/Greenlit AFTER Bayonetta 2 had gotten the Critical reception and Sales that it did, along with the Fan reception to Bayonetta as a Game, Franchise, and Character. Bayonetta wasn't put in under the Promotion angle, and this is a game that was directly funded by Nintendo
I just don't know if Nintendo is looking at Shin Megami Tensi V in that sort of way. I just think with those factors into play, that despite the idea of Nahobino being more reasonable knowing the his Design was made in 2016, I don't think it's what it's gonna be.
I think a way to look at it is through a Character like Rex/Pyra/Mythra. Their designs were made somewhere in 2014, but it took until 2021 for any Xenoblade Chronicles 2 character to be added in, because Nintendo did not see them in a Promotion light. Sakurai and Nintendo waited till after Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a Proven Successful game to add in Pyra/Mythra, because before then Xenoblade as a franchise had been more Niche (it still is kind of niche, but it was nicher back then). Xenoblade couldn't get the Pokemon or Fire Emblem treatment, and this is a 1st party franchise we're talking about, not a 3rd party like SMT is
I think Nahobino, in order for him to get in, is gonna rely on SMTV being a proven successful game, but it's impossible for that to happen during FP2's choosing of Characters, and even it's Lifetime, So I do not think Nahobino will be getting into the game as a Playable character.