Do Multi-Platform characters have a place in Smash?

[So_many_mails]

So I have a potentially unpopular opinion here that Multi-platform characters shouldn't be in Smash, unless they are icon characters from gaming history. For instance, Pac-Man has featured on just about every computer ever made, but he's so icon that I believe his inclusion is justified. The same goes for MegaMan and Cloud. However, people like the Dragonborn (Skyrim), Sans (Undertale), Yooka Laylee, and perhaps most controversially, Shovel Knight, should not be in the game I feel. By all means, include them as Trophies, but past that I don't think they should feature.

Crash and Doomguy I'm a bit on the fence about. They are pretty iconic, but I'm not sure if they're iconic enough.

I'm interested to see what others think though, and this is just one persons opinion anyway.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not against Third Party Characters at all (it'd be a bit hypocritical if I was), but I am against Third Party characters that aren't 'classic' or linked directly to Nintendo.

 

[Velvet Rebirth]

I'm not sure why you would think that. We have enough rules limiting Smash as is, this one just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Furthermore, it would not be worth it to go to the trouble of getting these third party characters just to make them trophies.

 

[ErenJager]

I love third party characters.
I hate when they get cut.
Due to inherit legal complications to acquiring the permission and rights etc.
I'm always a little hesitant and reluctant of their inclusion.

I would be sad to see third party characters go, but I'd also take a little bit of comfort seeing Nintendo/ Smash bring everything in house again.

 

[A Distant Demon]

Nah.

No reason to make up a bunch of rules for the sake of purity. All of the third party characters we have are multi-platform and they're all awesome. Limiting it to nintendo-only characters for the sake of purity would be extremely limiting for no real reason other than "because".

 

[pupNapoleon]

I don't think of this as making up rules.
I feel the original poster is just explaining what makes sense to him.
Ultimately, each of us has a personal sense of aesthetic in what fits and what doesnt fit in the roster,
and that tends to be more prominent than any other factor in how we post (because likelihood isnt a thing, a character is in, or they are not. It is very black and white, even characters that are cut, which then fall into both categories at different points in time).

That said, I also agree with this idea. It isnt an arbitrary rule at all, its not even a rule. It just seems odd to me that a character which means nothing to Nintendo, and has not made a particular mark in the entirety of the industry, would get in.
The most important thing is not to get big characters just to have big characters- if that were the case, we would have Mickey Mouse, Goku, and Trump.

 

[FamicomDisk]

Edit: I just saw this post for the first time in almost two years. I guess my opinion has shifted over time, because I'd be down for indies now!

I don't have an issue with multi-platform characters! It broadens the potential character options quite a bit, and lets people support characters like Joker from Persona 5 and Solaire from Dark Souls. I think that's pretty great! It's just more excitement.

That said, you did name a few specific characters in the opening post - Dragonborn from Skyrim, Sans from Undertale, Yooka-Laylee, Shovel Knight, Crash Bandicoot, and the protagonist of Doom. A few of these I'm fine with - Dragonborn, Crash Bandicoot, and Doomguy, while not characters I'm personally hoping for, would be exciting inclusions for many people, and I think they're fine to include (besides Doomguy coming from source material potentially too violent for Smash ). On the other hand, Sans and Shovel Knight are characters I'd prefer not to include. Not because they're third-party or multi-platform, but because they're indie characters. I know there's mixed opinions on this, but I personally think that indie characters should be trophies at most (like how Commander Video was in Smash 4!) Not that I don't support indie games or their developers, but Smash has always been a Nintendo cross-over, first and foremost. Third-party characters are a fun way to mix things up, but I think indie characters would be taking it a little too far. Yooka-Laylee I'm a bit mixed on, because while they technically are an indie character, they're made by most of the original team behind Banjo-Kazooie, so including them could be a cool way to call back to their N64 days.

 

[lordvaati]

The only reason why many classic 3rd party characters like Megaman or Simon had strong connections in the first place was due to fairly strict console exclusivity deals during the NES Age. Obviously such restrictions do not stand on 3rd party games on thier platforms anymore and such restrictions have no real place in Smash either.

Just as long as many get down the distinction that 3rd party means companies like Capcom or Activision- Microsoft and Sony are 1st party as well, Micro was just possible due to them having a working term relationship with Nintendo as far back as 2005.

 

[fogbadge]

We have enough rules limiting Smash as is

we dont actually, sakurai's key rule is: they have to be from video games

 

[Homelessvagrant]

meh, the way I see it smash is still a celebration of Nintendo gaming. To me, third party characters are still a part of that experience and part of nintendo is its 3rd party partners. I see a character like Joker to be similar to a nintendo niche pick, maybe not a huge part of nintendo gaming but still a part none-the-less. I feel like most of the huge allstars have been added (besides Dixie) so it doesn't matter who is added now. Still if it was a character that had no history with Nintendo, then I might have a problem. Because as a celebration of gaming itself, Smash is wholly biased and lacking.

 

[Velvet Rebirth]

we dont actually

The post you have responded to was made twenty three months ago, nine months before the release of Ultimate, and as such, is outdated. When I referred to the rules of smash I was referring to the rules set in place by fans, which are now, for the most part, extinct. My apologies if my intent was unclear.