Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[Sari]

I honestly don't agree with putting Eggman up there just because I know the driving factor is none other than Sephiroth and Sephiroth already put too much emphasis on him being the ultimate villain and boss, from Boss Rush Classic Mode and the Sephiroth Challenge.

I get what you mean though Eggman still has a lot of things going for him regardless like being super iconic (the person who covered him didn't even mention Sephiroth). While Arle is my personal most expected Sega character, I can still see Eggman happening even without Sephiroth being in Smash.

A two-parter? What are you, paid by the click?

We aren't. The top 5 writeups ended up being so long that we thought it would be best if it were split into two. It's not the first time we've had two part articles either.

I'm not sure how I feel about making a definitive list of most likely characters. There's a lot of work put into it and I do want to hear out the points going for them, but there's just so many unknown variables and potential outcomes that it's extremely hard to officially say "This is the most likely character."

Oh yeah there will never be a true accurate top 10. I mentioned it in one of the first paragraphs of the article, but this whole thing was mainly just for fun. It's not meant to be a definitive "these are THE most likely characters" list.

Also, I disagree that Adol is the clear choice for Falcom. Over the years, it seem that they've shifted their focus to Trails instead. It's caught up to Ys in sales despite being around for less than half the time, the latest Trails game is their 40th anniversary game, and from what I can gather, the fanbase is a good deal larger. Adol has a ton of legacy and seemingly has Kondo's favor, which is enough to give me hope, but the gap between him and the Trails heroes is a lot smaller than people think.

(This is going to sound so weird, coming from the site's resident Ys man)

One of the other writers actually did mention a Trails rep being more likely while we were making this. I regret not talking about that possibility more, though we had to keep the honorable mention sections brief.

 

[Mr. Robotto]

As much as I'm vouching for Chun-Li to be our Street Fighter rep, IF that even happens. There are still so many other Capcom characters I'd rather want to see get in before her.

• I think another Mega Man rep is long overdue, Street Fighter already has two now and I feel we have to give our run n' gun guy some justice. The first character that comes to mind is Zero, though sadly he got Assist'd. There is also Proto Man, Bass and all the other variations of Mega Man we've seen along the years. Though I'm a bit scared they'd play a bit too similarly to Mega Man?
• There's still Devil May Cry which we've heard nothing about when it comes to Smash, besides the fact that his producer first wanted to put the games on the Switch before wanting to have the opportunity to put him in Smash, which obviously already happened. DMC1, DMC2 and DMC3 all released with DMC3 even having a some exclusive QOL stuff. I'd love to see them try to translate DMC's gameplay without making Dante absolutely busted lol.
• I'd absolutely do anything for a Resident Evil rep but sadly that got Spirited not long ago... Having Jill in Smash would be absolutely amazing and I can absolutely see some references to MvC2 in her moveset if she were to ever happen.
• Amaterasu from Okami has also been on my mind. While never playing it myself I absolutely love the overall aesthetic of the game and having a stage in Smash would be absolutely beautiful.
• There's also Morrigan or any other Darkstalkers character. Darkstalkers is a series quite near and dear to my heart and seeing that game get represented in here would be one of my never-ever wishes come true. Though sadly that IP is pretty much dormant now and there's really no reason for either Capcom or Nintendo to want any of those characters in Smash, unless a Darkstalkers 4 is secretly being worked on, which is absolutely impossible hahah (pretty please?).
• And then there's one of my most-wanted characters ever. Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney. I have been vouching for his inclusion ever since the Smash 4 ballot days and my god how many times I've imagined him being in Smash can't be counted. And I've always promised to myself if he ever got in Smash I'd main him no matter what. God just imagine the Cornered remixes as well...

So I think it's pretty obvious that there could be an entire Fighters Pass filled with Capcom characters and I'd be entirely happy. Capcom just has one of the biggest and most iconic libraries when it comes to their videogames and it still kind of confuses me how they only have 3 with that many lovable and popular characters. God and I haven't even mentioned Rival Schools, Power Stone, Star Gladiator and Battle Circuit. Though those might get a bit too niche for some people's taste.

C'mon Nintendo make that Capcom Fighter's Pass happen!

 

[chocolatejr9]

NO HE ****ING WONT need to edit every single stage, and NO HE ****ING WONT think he's throwing away hard work when ATs have like 5% of the work put into a fighter. He knows better than that, because he's actually coding the ****ing game.

This is the part where you escape because you can't handle knowing that ATs don't have Tekken-tier movelists and aren't the thing holding Smash's code together.

Dude, I get not agreeing, but do you have to be so rude about it? Some people have reasonto believe that ATs aren't up for promotion.

Take me, for example: I think the fact he didn't go with Spring Man despite supposedly being just as much an option as every other ARMS character can be interpretted as him being lower priority. Yes, I know Min Min was specifically requested, but... c'mon. Like it or not, Spring Man is the mascot, he should've taken priority. Also, there's the fact that we've been getting Mii Costumes for some Assists, like the Squid Sisters and Bomberman. Again, that could suggest a lower priority.

I'm not saying ATs DO deconfirm, but I feel I have reason to believe it won't happen, no matter how much we beg. At this point, we're probably better off waiting until next game.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Though I'm a bit scared they'd play a bit too similarly to Mega Man?

No, but they would play too similarly to Mii Gunner. Hint hint.

Dude, I get not agreeing, but do you have to be so rude about it? Some people have reasonto believe that ATs aren't up for promotion.

Take me, for example: I think the fact he didn't go with Spring Man despite supposedly being just as much an option as every other ARMS character can be interpretted as him being lower priority. Yes, I know Min Min was specifically requested, but... c'mon. Like it or not, Spring Man is the mascot, he should've taken priority. Also, there's the fact that we've been getting Mii Costumes for some Assists, like the Squid Sisters and Bomberman. Again, that could suggest a lower priority.

I'm not saying ATs DO deconfirm, but I feel I have reason to believe it won't happen, no matter how much we beg. At this point, we're probably better off waiting until next game.

First off, I wouldn't have yelled NO HE ****ING WON'T if Perk didn't. Second, I'd like to figure out why I wouldn't have to wait for the next game because I'll be 35 by then. I should change my username to "Guywhoactuallyrememberedsakuraisayingthenextsmashmightbetenyearsaway".

 

[Cutie Gwen]

unpopular opinion but i would like Gill from street fighter to get into smash he has a very interesting concept for a villain rep and 2 style of moveset ice/fire it would be nice to get a new ice user however i am not sure if the fact he only wears pants is an issue he got more costumes in SFV and i dont mind if they went with the story mode costume also after seeing the ending of SFV when Gill appeared i think that its likely that he is going to be playing a major role in the next SF game.
while most people prefer Chun-li to be the next SF rep and thats seems likely i think SF series is able to offer more than just punch and kicks.

"When Gill's last stock is taken, he will gain an extra stock but with 50% damage because **** you I sunk so many quarters in the arcades back then"

 

[3BitSaurus]

I'm not sure how I feel about making a definitive list of most likely characters. There's a lot of work put into it and I do want to hear out the points going for them, but there's just so many unknown variables and potential outcomes that it's extremely hard to officially say "This is the most likely character."

Also, I disagree that Adol is the clear choice for Falcom. Over the years, it seem that they've shifted their focus to Trails instead. It's caught up to Ys in sales despite being around for less than half the time, the latest Trails game is their 40th anniversary game, and from what I can gather, the fanbase is a good deal larger. Adol has a ton of legacy and seemingly has Kondo's favor, which is enough to give me hope, but the gap between him and the Trails heroes is a lot smaller than people think.

(This is going to sound so weird, coming from the site's resident Ys man)

As one of the resident Falcom guys: what would you wager Estelle's chances are? I kinda have a hard time seeing her being picked over Adol or Rean (even if she would be my personal Falcom choice), but I'd like to hear other opinions.

 

[Geno Boost]

"When Gill's last stock is taken, he will gain an extra stock but with 50% damage because **** you I sunk so many quarters in the arcades back then"

i do actually want to see how sakurai will implement resurrection on Gill we had Hero who blows himself up that would be very interesting to see

 

[Guynamednelson]

First off, I wouldn't have yelled NO HE ****ING WON'T if Perk didn't. Second, I'd like to figure out why I wouldn't have to wait for the next game because I'll be 35 by then. I should change my username to "Guywhoactuallyrememberedsakuraisayingthenextsmashmightbetenyearsaway".

Dude, I get not agreeing, but do you have to be so rude about it?

In fact I wouldn't have this rudeness if I was allowed to want/predict characters that are neither the usuals nor the acceptable unusuals. Without waiting ten years because that's what Sakurai said oh god please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

In fact I wouldn't have this rudeness if I was allowed to want/predict characters that are neither the usuals nor the acceptable unusuals. Without waiting ten years because that's what Sakurai said oh god please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that.

Well let’s talk about Isaac then.

 

[7NATOR]

I doubt we would have to wait 10 years for the Next Smash game. Even if Sakurai retires, you don't just put a Series on hiatus when it's latest game is the Highest selling game in the Series, as well as the current most selling fighting game of all time, and with So many people wanting to see more from the series

Plus I would think we would see Next Nintendo console in less than 10 years, and I Imagine they want a New Smash to release along with System this time

 

[TCT~Phantom]

A two-parter? What are you, paid by the click?

It’s already a relatively long article by smashboards standards, chillax.

So here's something that several SmashBoards writers/staff (me included) have been working on for a while: a Top 10 Most Likely Character List.

Click here to read the list
Also make sure to read the "How this Top 10 was Created" section so you know how we made this.​

This article took a ton of time to make so we hope you all enjoy it. Keep in mind that this is just part 1, and that part 2 with characters #5 through #1 should be up on Monday.

My own thoughts:
I personally disagree with Rayman being on there since I think he is super overrated in regards to chances. Same with #3 in the next article who I won't spoil. Everyone else I think is pretty reasonable, and either way I think the writers did a good job with each character.

I enjoyed the article myself a good bit. I disagree with one entry in particular and view one of the honorable mentions (Adol) as a sleeper pick. But good read so far, can’t wait for part 2.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Well let’s talk about Isaac then.

Isaac gets brought up almost as much as Waluigi when it comes to AT promotions so clearly he's too commonly discussed

In fact I wouldn't have this rudeness if I was allowed to want/predict characters that are neither the usuals nor the acceptable unusuals. Without waiting ten years because that's what Sakurai said oh god please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that.

Literally nothing stopped you from doing this in the past you know, like the other times you brought up your unlikely favs

 

[ARandomZoomer]

I get what you mean though Eggman still has a lot of things going for him regardless like being super iconic (the person who covered him didn't even mention Sephiroth). While Arle is my personal most expected Sega character, I can still see Eggman happening even without Sephiroth being in Smash.

Yeah I kinda expected Eggman to happen before Sephiroth myself tbh.

In regards to a Monster Hunter character, does anyone think that an armor change mechanic would be too out there?

 

[SharkLord]

As one of the resident Falcom guys: what would you wager Estelle's chances are? I kinda have a hard time seeing her being picked over Adol or Rean (even if she would be my personal Falcom choice), but I'd like to hear other opinions.

I don't know the full scope of Trails, but from what I can gather, it could go either way. From what I can gather, Ys has the legacy and seems to be more well-known in the West, but Trails is more popular, especially in Asian countries. I'm not sure which one Nintendo would go for, and my prediction tends to flip-flop depending on the mood.
For Trails specifically, I'm also not sure. It's basically the Ys vs Trails argument, just focused on Trails rather than Falcom as a whole. Estelle is the first protagonist and set the standard, but Rean pretty much took over the series for the last five games. Estelle got the focus in the 15th anniversary logo and was cited as Kondo's favorite character to write, but Cold Steel broke a million copies sold and Rean was Kondo's backup pick, so to speak, since he couldn't think of a moveset for Adol.
So if you look at it mainly based on the series, 50% chance we get Adol and 25% for Estelle and Rean. If we look at it from a character perspective, 33% for everyone.

 

[Speed Weed]

In fact I wouldn't have this rudeness if I was allowed to want/predict characters that are neither the usuals nor the acceptable unusuals. Without waiting ten years because that's what Sakurai said oh god please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that.

it ain't personal man i just do not wish for this argument to happen the 5000th time

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Well let’s talk about Isaac then.

Isaac's thread is actually the largest active individual support thread on this site, funnily enough.

 

[Deleted member]

As one of the resident Falcom guys: what would you wager Estelle's chances are? I kinda have a hard time seeing her being picked over Adol or Rean (even if she would be my personal Falcom choice), but I'd like to hear other opinions.

Eh, I'd argue Estelle is in a bit of weird position in terms of Falcom reps. At least in Japan, all of the mainline Trails games are on or coming out for the switch, except for Trails in the Sky trilogy (Estelle's games).

However, the president of Falcom did say in an interview that he wants to remake the Trails in the Sky trilogy (link to the interview here https://www.usgamer.net/articles/fa...ike-to-recreate-trails-of-the-sky-games-in-3d), which can really improve Estelle's chances for being the Falcom rep if these remakes do happen. But there hasn't been really any news for the Trails in the Sky remakes so if it does happen, it might happen after the Smash DLC is over.

I believe Estelle is major recurring character in the Trails games and especially in the Trails of Cold Steel games (I actually haven't play those games yet oof) as well as being the first protagonist for Trails. So you can probably argue that Estelle would be a better fit than Rean to represent Trails. Maybe?

Generally, I think Estelle has the same chance as Rean, but I think Adol slightly has the advantage over them due to Ys having more of a legacy. (I can probably write more about but my Falcom knowledge isn't the best and I don't want to spread misinformation).

 

[True Blue Warrior]

As for Isaac’s hypothetical challenger pack, these are the tracks I’d like for him to have.

• Isaac Battle Theme/Matthew Battle Theme (medley)
• Sea of Karagol/Vale (medley)
• The Elemental Stars
• Versus Saturos
• Venus Lighthouse (remix)
• Jenna’s Theme (remix)
• Walking Forward with Determination
• Boss Battle Medley (a mix of GS1, GS2 and DD
• Felix Battle Theme
• Mars Lighthouse
• Mercury Lighthouse
• Jupiter Lighthouse

As for Spirits, he should bring Sheba, Piers, Kraden, Alex, Saturos, Menardi and Sveta.

 

[Evil Trapezium]

If we want to talk about unlikely characters, why not talk about Cormano and how he such a cool dude?

 

[SneakyLink]

If we want to talk about unlikely characters, why not talk about Cormano and how he such a cool dude?

View attachment 302848

I checked to see what game Cormano is from. It's Sunset Riders, a game I never played because Microsoft refused to put it in Game Room despite it being advertised in game.
10 years later and I'm still a bit unhappy by it.

 

[Guynamednelson]

I doubt we would have to wait 10 years for the Next Smash game. Even if Sakurai retires, you don't just put a Series on hiatus when it's latest game is the Highest selling game in the Series, as well as the current most selling fighting game of all time, and with So many people wanting to see more from the series

Plus I would think we would see Next Nintendo console in less than 10 years, and I Imagine they want a New Smash to release along with System this time

Still, we should prepare for anything, including Sakurai's statement on when the next Smash game will come being literal. He doesn't always change his mind on things.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Still, we should prepare for anything, including Sakurai's statement on when the next Smash game will come being literal. He doesn't always change his mind on things.

Eh. A new game will get made when Nintendo wants it to be made. I don't think even Sakurai would be able to accurately judge when that would be. It could be 10, but it could also easily be 7 or 5.

EDIT: It could even be as early as 3 but I hope it's not that early.

 

[Eeeyah911]

I know that none of these characters will make it in, but I will suggest.

1. Reina - Star Ocean: The Second Story
2. Lana - Hyrule Warriors
3. Dante - Devil May Cry
4. Tsubasa Oribe - Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (DON'T put her into the Fire Emblem category Sakurai, make her represent the game that she is from.)
5. Terra Branford - Final Fantasy VI
6. Ayumi Tachibana - ??? (What was she from again?)
7. Roxas - Kingdom Hearts (I honestly would want him to be in Smash instead of Sora.)
8. Neptune - Hyperdimension Neptunia
9. Valvatorez - Disgaea 4
10. Ninten - Earthbound Zero/Mother 1

 

[7NATOR]

Actually, Since Gill was mentioned, and I've been mentioning Akuma, there is something I want to ask

How do you feel about the Implementation of "Boss Characters" and would you like to see more?

Sakurai on implementing Sephiroth into Smash Bros. Ultimate, reveal trailer, more - Nintendo Everything

I wanted Sephiroth to feel like a boss character, with boss-like strength that players can enjoy

Sakurai I believe said that he wants Boss Characters to feel like Boss Characters, and this doesn't just stick to Sephiroth, but Also charcters like Ridley and K.Rool, as well as veterans like Bowser, King Dedede, and Ganondorf

How do you feel about the way these types of characters were put in? do you think they did a good job, and what other Boss movesets you want to see?

 

[3BitSaurus]

Yeah I kinda expected Eggman to happen before Sephiroth myself tbh.

In regards to a Monster Hunter character, does anyone think that an armor change mechanic would be too out there?

I don't have a lot of experience with MH, but the way I see it it's more likely that the armor sets would be related to alt costumes instead of a gameplay mechanic, no? The different weapons seem better for the latter.

I don't know the full scope of Trails, but from what I can gather, it could go either way. From what I can gather, Ys has the legacy and seems to be more well-known in the West, but Trails is more popular, especially in Asian countries. I'm not sure which one Nintendo would go for, and my prediction tends to flip-flop depending on the mood.
For Trails specifically, I'm also not sure. It's basically the Ys vs Trails argument, just focused on Trails rather than Falcom as a whole. Estelle is the first protagonist and set the standard, but Rean pretty much took over the series for the last five games. Estelle got the focus in the 15th anniversary logo and was cited as Kondo's favorite character to write, but Cold Steel broke a million copies sold and Rean was Kondo's backup pick, so to speak, since he couldn't think of a moveset for Adol.
So if you look at it mainly based on the series, 50% chance we get Adol and 25% for Estelle and Rean. If we look at it from a character perspective, 33% for everyone.

Eh, I'd argue Estelle is in a bit of weird position in terms of Falcom reps. At least in Japan, all of the mainline Trails games are on or coming out for the switch, except for Trails in the Sky trilogy (Estelle's games).

However, the president of Falcom did say in an interview that he wants to remake the Trails in the Sky trilogy (link to the interview here https://www.usgamer.net/articles/fa...ike-to-recreate-trails-of-the-sky-games-in-3d), which can really improve Estelle's chances for being the Falcom rep if these remakes do happen. But there hasn't been really any news for the Trails in the Sky remakes so if it does happen, it might happen after the Smash DLC is over.

I believe Estelle is major recurring character in the Trails games and especially in the Trails of Cold Steel games (I actually haven't play those games yet oof) as well as being the first protagonist for Trails. So you can probably argue that Estelle would be a better fit than Rean to represent Trails. Maybe?

Generally, I think Estelle has the same chance as Rean, but I think Adol slightly has the advantage over them due to Ys having more of a legacy. (I can probably write more about but my Falcom knowledge isn't the best and I don't want to spread misinformation).

My experience to Trails doesn't yet extend to Cold Steel, unfortunately (it's in my backlog, I swear). But the reason I see Rean as more likely is because his games are the ones I've seen most people credit with pushing Trails into the... well, "mainstream" isn't the right term, but I guess we can settle with "JRPG mainstream". It's a similar reason as to why we see more requests for Lloyd and Yuri than Cress, in the case of Tales, for example. Or the more recent Atelier protagonists, for that series.

I do know Estelle seems to be a recurring character outside of Sky, but I dunno, I guess I'm just not that confident in her chances.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I know that none of these characters will make it in, but I will suggest.

1. Reina - Star Ocean: The Second Story
2. Lana - Hyrule Warriors
3. Dante - Devil May Cry
4. Tsubasa Oribe - Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (DON'T put her into the Fire Emblem category Sakurai, make her represent the game that she is from.)
5. Terra Branford - Final Fantasy VI
6. Ayumi Tachibana - ??? (What was she from again?)
7. Roxas - Kingdom Hearts (I honestly would want him to be in Smash instead of Sora.)
8. Neptune - Hyperdimension Neptunia
9. Valvatorez - Disgaea 4
10. Ninten - Earthbound Zero/Mother 1

Ayumi Tachibana’s from Famicom Detective Club

and STAR OCEAN?? NEPTUNIA?? You are a person of culture.

 

[SharkLord]

My experience to Trails doesn't yet extend to Cold Steel, unfortunately (it's in my backlog, I swear). But the reason I see Rean as more likely is because his games are the ones I've seen most people credit with pushing Trails into the... well, "mainstream" isn't the right term, but I guess we can settle with "JRPG mainstream". It's a similar reason as to why we see more requests for Lloyd and Yuri than Cress, in the case of Tales, for example. Or the more recent Atelier protagonists, for that series.

I do know Estelle seems to be a recurring character outside of Sky, but I dunno, I guess I'm just not that confident in her chances.

Yeah, Rean definitely has the edge in relevancy. Though, I think Estelle is in a somewhat better position than most, as Trails already had a cult classic status before Cold Steel and Estelle managed to cement herself in the series before Rean took over. She gets praised for being a good protagonist a lot, and is generally remembered a bit more than Cress or the original Atelier heroines. Still, I can definitely see why you'd think Rean would have an edge, seeing as he's been the/a main protagonist for five games straight (Which is half of the entire series up to this point, mind you).

 

[Megadoomer]

If we want to talk about unlikely characters, why not talk about Cormano and how he such a cool dude?

View attachment 302848

That game was the peak of video game voice acting, and nobody can convince me otherwise.

 

[GoodGrief741]

It’s just a selfish waste of dev time that would only benefit Nintendo’s pockets.

So wait your argument is that fans want it, and Nintendo would make a lot of money from it, so therefore it won't happen?

 

[Mushroomguy12]

That game was the peak of video game voice acting, and nobody can convince me otherwise.

But....

 

[Guynamednelson]

But....

Still doesn't beat

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Actually, Since Gill was mentioned, and I've been mentioning Akuma, there is something I want to ask

How do you feel about the Implementation of "Boss Characters" and would you like to see more?

Sakurai on implementing Sephiroth into Smash Bros. Ultimate, reveal trailer, more - Nintendo Everything



Sakurai I believe said that he wants Boss Characters to feel like Boss Characters, and this doesn't just stick to Sephiroth, but Also charcters like Ridley and K.Rool, as well as veterans like Bowser, King Dedede, and Ganondorf

How do you feel about the way these types of characters were put in? do you think they did a good job, and what other Boss movesets you want to see?

Oh like as playable characters? Then as far as they go:

• Bowser is the most successful boss character (EDIT: Well, him, Wolf, or Sephiroth). His stuff does feel a bit outdated from personality to moveset, but I think it gets the job done. Personally, I would probably stick to just updating the characterization when doing any re-imaginings.
• Ganondorf doesn't really give off the same vibes as he does in his original series. I'd like to see more powerful mage stuff and less unga bunga brawler stuff.
• King Dedede needs to be scrapped and redone. Characterization is perfection though.
• I don't really have enough experience with Wolf to really gauge his accuracy, but he's a really good character design on all aspects when looking at him in a vacuum.
• Bowser Jr. is super weird mechanically and I feel like he needs a rework. The Koopalings coming alongside him has stunted their characterization as well.
• Ridley doesn't quite capture his original fighting style I think, but they did a good job selling the brutality of this character.
• King K. Rool was implemented pretty well. He just needs a bit of fine tuning.
• I don't really have enough experience with Sephiroth to gague his accuracy, but I can say that his One Winged form is a great way to represent a multi-phase boss fight, and it's probably the most smartly designed comeback mechanic in the game.

 

[Otoad64]

• King Dedede needs to be scrapped and redone. Characterization is perfection though.

why? I think Dedede is fine.

 

[NotGenerico]

As someone that's playing Trails of Cold Steel IV right now, I'm pretty sure Rean would be the Trails pick. The Trails series has had four games with him as the protagonist and Hajimari features him as one of the protagonists of its three routes. Estelle herself doesn't show up in the Erebonia games until Cold Steel IV, though she's mentioned a few times in the first three Cold Steel games. Rean is also the most popular Trails character in Japan right now, so he's got that going for him, too.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

why? I think Dedede is fine.

I can see what they were trying to do with it, but the result is hot garbage. Most of his moves are both incredibly risky and accomplish very little, and his best move is stacked in the opponent's favor unless it's ledge trapping time. I'm fine with him keeping the same sort of playstyle, but it's gotta function.

I have a similar critique for Bowser Jr., but it's less bad, and it might just be a slightly disjointed kit or a high execution kit that feels bad when you don't get it like Greninja's is.

 

[Pillow]

I enjoyed the article myself a good bit. I disagree with one entry in particular and view one of the honorable mentions (Adol) as a sleeper pick. But good read so far, can’t wait for part 2.

Is that entry Rayman by any chance?

On the article itself I find it odd that people don't discuss that one article where Sakurai mentions John Carmack and his legacy as the founder of the FPS genre (I believe it was the joint interview with Nomura) when discussing the Doomslayer's chances. Legacy (and relevance I guess) is by far the biggest thing Doom has going for it over other potential FPS picks.

As one of the resident Falcom guys: what would you wager Estelle's chances are? I kinda have a hard time seeing her being picked over Adol or Rean (even if she would be my personal Falcom choice), but I'd like to hear other opinions.

There's actually a lot of parallels between Falcom and SNK in terms of being included for Smash. Adol is like Terry while Estelle is like Kyo, though it's not as cut and dry because Adol is less of a company mascot than Terry is.

I can see what they were trying to do with it, but the result is hot garbage. Most of his moves are both incredibly risky and accomplish very little, and his best move is stacked in the opponent's favor unless it's ledge trapping time. I'm fine with him keeping the same sort of playstyle, but it's gotta function.

I have a similar critique for Bowser Jr., but it's less bad, and it might just be a slightly disjointed kit or a high execution kit that feels bad when you don't get it like Greninja's is.

A lot of times it's hard to say whether a character is broken because of faulty design, or faulty balance. For Dedede's case I think it's more of the latter. Fix his hitboxes and framedata a bit, or make him faster in the air and you could have a good character.

 

[Dinoman96]

I like that most of the villain characters have a little something or other that makes them feel like a playable boss character.

:"Tough Guy" mechanic that armors through weaker attacks
: Has a weakpoint in his mouth when charging Plasma Breath
: Has the Super Belly Armor mechanic, can also lose his crown
: Takes more damage when hit himself, rather than his car
: One Winged Form basically emulates the second phase of a boss fight

That's kinda why Ganondorf is currently lacking, he's very powerful but otherwise doesn't have much of a "boss" feel to him, I think. Maybe if they gave him a projectile that could be reflected back and forth, that'd be something.

Likewise it'd be neat if K. Rool actually took damage while being footstool jumped on without his crown on. Piranha Plant has a somewhat similar thing where anyone who footstool jumps it while it's crouching actually gets hurt.

 

[Slime Master]

I can see what they were trying to do with it, but the result is hot garbage. Most of his moves are both incredibly risky and accomplish very little, and his best move is stacked in the opponent's favor unless it's ledge trapping time. I'm fine with him keeping the same sort of playstyle, but it's gotta function.

I have a similar critique for Bowser Jr., but it's less bad, and it might just be a slightly disjointed kit or a high execution kit that feels bad when you don't get it like Greninja's is.

That's not really a systemic issue for Dedede like it is for, say, Ganondorf or Kirby. Dedede's just weirdly undertuned for no reason. Give him better grab reward and he'd be a lot better right away.

Also, give him Brawl bair back you cowards.

 

[Knight Dude]

I'm curious; how would Chun-Li's special attacks work? Would the Hurricane Kick be the standard B and the Kikoken the side b, or the other way around? Could she have a focus attack? Would the Spinning Bird Kick be too similar to the Rising Tackle to be her up B? These are the real questions we need to be asking, people!

Chun's inputs have bounced back and forth between Charges and HC inputs. Like Alpha 2 and 3 Chun mostly has HC inputs, but if you switch to her SF2 outfit, she uses the Charge versions of her moves. Third Strike Chun is mostly HC inputs. SF4 is charge, Marvel Infinite is QFC and HC I think.

Kikouken would probably be her B move. Maybe a HCF input like it is in SFA2, SFA3 and Third Strike for the "EX" version. Worst comes to worst, it'll be like Power Wave.
Lightning Legs could be Down-B, and if it needs an input outside of mashing more, it's been made a QCF move in SF5 and I think Marvel Infinite too.
Tenshokyaku(her anti air) I think has had both SRK and Down-Up Charge inputs. I can see that move working just like Rising Taco.
Spinning Bird Kick could be the input HCF as well.

One of those moves could also be HCB instead.

I think the only input that'd be too awkward for a 3-8 player match is Back to Forward charges. Down to Up charges won't change much in those situations, which is why Rising Tackle works well, if you ask me anyway.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Tenshokyaku(her anti air) I think has had both SRK and Down-Up Charge inputs. I can see that move working just like Rising Taco.

D-...Did you just refer to Spinning Bird Kick as Rising Tac-oh...you meant Terry's move...'cuz accent n' stuff.

...

The fact that that wasn't the first thing that came to mind worries me.