Ok ok, I better get this out before April 1st rolls around and I'm inevitably forced to go full ****posting mode.
Sooooo, ARMS. I've seen a lot of mixed opinions about Fighter Pass 2 starting out with an unspecified rep from that game both in this thread and outside of it, but honestly? Even though I only got to play ARMS a couple days ago once Nintendo "lent" it for free for NSO subscribers (and yes, it's free to download right this very moment, so go get it before it's too late), I not only am pretty happy with this news,
but, I also think this might potentially be the biggest boon Geno has gotten a long time!
About the choice itself, I think it makes sense to give ARMS a bit of a spotlight in Smash, even if later rather than sooner. The game is Nintendo's own weird yet charming take on the 1v1 fighting genre, with the matches being fought at long distance in a 3D arena by means of the fighters' coil shaped arms of all things, with customizable hands unique to each fighter, each with strengths and drawbacks, an attack/shield/grab dynamic similar to Smash, a good few modes, a fresh soundtrack and a cast of characters that's colorful in every sense of the word. From what I've played, it's not
quite what I'd pay 60 bucks for but hey, that's most first party Switch releases for ya. Basically what I'm trying to say is, it's a pretty novel IP with much of what makes other Nintendo games great and even though it's not for everyone, it could definitely use a little boost. Certainly not a flop like some peeps have suggested, but when put side by side with Splatoon, another relatively new franchise, it just makes sense to try and replicate a bit of that success, ya know?
... yeah, but that's whatever. Let's talk characters now! One thing even the most cynical of us can agree is that the cast of ARMS is probably its strongest point. We have 15 guys and gals (and robots... and mummies... and DNA blob things... and...) and all of them are pretty likeable and memorable in their own right. They have enough to fill three Fighter Passes with, but Imma be real, there are only really a few I think even have a chance. First off, I'd do away with all of the DLC folk.
Sorry Max, you're gonna have to kick Brass somewhere else. They aren't as recognizable as the base game characters and haven't had as much time to make an impression on people, either. Of the 10 characters left, 5 of them stand out in terms of popularity, and would you know, those just so happen to be the ones who already have Spirits in Smash Ultimate. Springman, Ribbon Girl, Ninjara, Min Min and Thicctel- um, Twintelle. All of those are pretty solid choices and I'd be happy with any, but if I had to bet, our fighter will be one of two outcomes:
1. Springman/Ribbon Girl/Ninjara/Min Min combo. This is the best and most likely of the two, I'd say. You have the two most heavily pushed characters by Nintendo and arguably the posterboy and girl of the game
and you have the two most popular male and female characters respectively all in one package? Sounds like a deal! Now I know that each of them have their own personalities and differences in combat, but the way I see it, come on, it's not like we haven't seen alts having different animations (see:
), and creative liberties aren't a new thing to Smash anyway. Some of
's moves are derived from Paula and Poo, for frick's sake. I think we'd be fine if they all had shared attacks from each other.
2. Min Min solo. This one seems especially likely to me seeing the ARMS Crash Bash resulting in Min Min voted as the most popular character, and the timing of it being suspiciously close to when Nintendo might've decided on fighter 6 as
Lord Woomy
pointed out. While I'd prefer the former outcome just so we can have some of the other characters, I'm pretty cool with this too. From what I've played of ARMS, Min Min was the one who I most had fun with, what, with her speed and that awesome laser spitting dragon hand of hers. Plus, she cute. So
Min Min for the Win Win.
So, in order for me to not be blasted with a warni-, I mean, to get back on-topic and conclude this post, what does this all have to do with Geno? Simple, pretty much every single outcome is massively beneficial to our boi in some way. Even in the off chance they go with a character who isn't one of those 5 ARMS Spirits, just the fact Nintendo gave the thumbs up for a Smash fighter to be from an already represented franchise even going into FP2 is a small point in favor of him if nothing else. And in the best case scenario, where we do get one of said Spirits as fighter 6... GUYS. THIS IS IT! The one "potential" thing that could keep Geno away... GONE. That's nothing to scoff at. It'll be a pretty incredible sight to see the "spirits deconfirm" argument we've been tirelessly discussing the past several months fall flat in its face with one fell punch from several meters away. And if Springman specifically gets to be a fighter, the Assist Trophy and Mii Costume arguments are also to be thrown in the trash too, potentially opening the door for fans of such characters too. AFSHSFADAJAGF, I'm excited!
Even if you're not really looking forward to the ARMS rep, at least let that be a silver lining: this will likely be paving the way for Geno and other similar characters to come. So stay strong, stay positive, bros. We've got this.
tl;dr: Ha, you just got duped! Bamboozled! Smeckledorfed! The real ARMS rep is gonna be Cacomallow and you can't convince me otherwise.