Geno (♥♪!?): Return of the Starsend Savior

[Fatmanonice]

While we continue to sail through purgatory, I've been thinking about the rumored Switch Pro and it's made me think about how Nintendo has handled launches most of its history. They usually do: a new game for one of their bigger franchises (typically Mario or Zelda), something casual AF, and a new franchise launch or dead franchise revival (usually something experimental). You can see the rundown here:

List of video game console launch games

This is an incomplete list of launch games for various video game consoles. Although most launch titles were released synchronously with the system they were released for, some games were released prior to the actual system release: for example, Dragon Quest Monsters was released on the Game Boy...

gamicus.gamepedia.com

March 26th keeps coming up and, based on Nintendo's history, it's safe to assume at least three first party games on that day. BotW2 wouldn't surprise me at all along with Mario Kart 9 if it's real. This then begs the question of what this third (and possibly fourth) first party games are supposed to be? I'm genuinely wondering if Donkey Kong Country is supposed to be one of them. Mario, Zelda, and DK all available for the Switch Pro's launch would be a hell of an offer.

 

[Noipoi]

While we continue to sail through purgatory, I've been thinking about the rumored Switch Pro and it's made me think about how Nintendo has handled launches most of its history. They usually do: a new game for one of their bigger franchises (typically Mario or Zelda), something casual AF, and a new franchise launch or dead franchise revival (usually something experimental). You can see the rundown here:

List of video game console launch games

This is an incomplete list of launch games for various video game consoles. Although most launch titles were released synchronously with the system they were released for, some games were released prior to the actual system release: for example, Dragon Quest Monsters was released on the Game Boy...

gamicus.gamepedia.com

March 26th keeps coming up and, based on Nintendo's history, it's safe to assume at least three first party games on that day. BotW2 wouldn't surprise me at all along with Mario Kart 9 if it's real. This then begs the question of what this third (and possibly fourth) first party games are supposed to be? I'm genuinely wondering if Donkey Kong Country is supposed to be one of them. Mario, Zelda, and DK all available for the Switch Pro's launch would be a hell of an offer.

you tellin me we could get Mario Kart: Tokyo Drift, Zelda Breath of the Wild: Ganondorf dead and loving it, and DKC: K Rool’s Kommode on the same day??

 

[YsDisciple]

While we continue to sail through purgatory, I've been thinking about the rumored Switch Pro and it's made me think about how Nintendo has handled launches most of its history. They usually do: a new game for one of their bigger franchises (typically Mario or Zelda), something casual AF, and a new franchise launch or dead franchise revival (usually something experimental). You can see the rundown here:

List of video game console launch games

This is an incomplete list of launch games for various video game consoles. Although most launch titles were released synchronously with the system they were released for, some games were released prior to the actual system release: for example, Dragon Quest Monsters was released on the Game Boy...

gamicus.gamepedia.com

March 26th keeps coming up and, based on Nintendo's history, it's safe to assume at least three first party games on that day. BotW2 wouldn't surprise me at all along with Mario Kart 9 if it's real. This then begs the question of what this third (and possibly fourth) first party games are supposed to be? I'm genuinely wondering if Donkey Kong Country is supposed to be one of them. Mario, Zelda, and DK all available for the Switch Pro's launch would be a hell of an offer.

What if one of the first party Switch Pro launch titles ends up being Metroid Prime 4? Would explain the "delay" and scarcity of development update news on the game.

Onto another topic, I thought this morning about which characters right now have garnered increased chances on potentially being part of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 due to the rumors, string of coincidences, and official announcements of some that have circled the Internet as recently as this month, and as early as the start of last year.

• Geno (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars): we've discussed our favorite star messenger to hell and back; long string of rumors and coincidences dating back to early-to-mid 2019 (or even 2018 I believe). The recent public surfacing of a potential SMRPG remake/sequel, the still notorious CacoMallow leak yet to be disproved, and the glaring absence of Geno's Mii Costume AND SMRPG on the SNES NSO Library are some of the key facts going in favor of Geno's potential inclusion. If the remake/sequel rumors turn out to be true, his inclusion would make for a reasonable advertisement choice.
• Doom Slayer (DOOM): sharing Geno's notorious CacoMallow leak, some details that have gone for the Doom Slayer's favor in being one of the DLC fighters has been the DOOM games that were ported to the Switch (including DOOM 2016), and most notably the still to be announced release date of DOOM Eternal. True that the current situation in the World with the ongoing pandemic has slowed down development for every project (or most), but to still not have an official release date on Eternal is still quite sus. Some have brought up an interview in which one of DOOM's staff members said that apparently conversations for the Doom Slayer in Smash never went into serious discussion, do remember that whether they be under NDA's or not, the audience/reader can never tell if such statement is fact, or is a purposely misleading one.
• Master Chief (Halo): with Microsoft's strong relationship with Nintendo (as evidenced by Minecraft games on Nintendo systems, Banjo & Kazooie in SSBU, and the Ori games being on Switch), the rumors of a potential Master Chief Collection inbound to the Switch really poses a strong likelyhood for this character's inclusion in Smash. However, since Master Chief is pretty much Microsoft's "mascot" (Nintendo's Mario), I'm not too sure if such a deal is to be materialized at this point in time. I mean, would Nintendo have Super Mario content play on an XBOX system (or Playstation even)? Still, Microsoft could go full mad lad and prove us wrong, and we might end up seeing this iconic character joining the fight.
• Dante (Devil May Cry): Remember when Hideaki Itsuno (DMC Director) said when asked if he'd like to see Dante in Smash, that he believed that before that to happen, there should be DMC games on Nintendo systems? Some time after that interview, the Switch started getting periodic ports of DMC games (currently DMC 1, 2, and 3 SE are available). The DMC franchise also returned to the spotlight with the release of DMC 5 a while back, and just recently at the Playstation 5 Showcase stream from last week, Devil May Cry V Special Edition was announced. Heck, Kamiya wants to see Dante in Smash (really though, Dante vs Bayonetta HAS to happen). This iconic character has some strong factors running in his favor. If we get a shadow drop announcement of DMC 4 for the Switch soon, that'll just drive his chances even higher.
• Crash Bandicoot (... well... Crash Bandicoot): this marsupial by now just HAS to be one of the candidates that is pretty much a LOCK in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. He was one of the three contenders during the Console Wars between Nintendo, SEGA, and Sony; is a platforming ICON; Crash N'Sane Trilogy, AND Crash Team Racing are both available on Switch (best versions imo); and we got Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time coming in hot on October 2nd. Despite the game still not coming out for the Switch, it was found a while back on the game's promo website that there was some code indicating that among the version alternatives for the game, there was on for the Switch within the site's code. Seeing as N'Sane Trilogy and CTR came out for Switch, I could see it coming along a bit later. However, we could still get Crash announced as a DLC fighter in order to help promote Crash 4's release on October 2nd (sure it's releasing on rival consoles but STILL, the Switch version is inevitable).
• Monster Hunter... Hunter (Monster Hunter): the recent Nintendo Direct Mini | Partner Showcase imo boosted the chances for a MH rep considerably. Not only is Capcom working on two MH exclusives for the Switch, but the fact that there is already content from the IP in Smash really does make one wonder if it's a matter of when. The MH Mii Costumes from Smash 4 are still M.I.A.
• Adol Christin (Ys): now entering names that perhaps aren't circulating too much in the speculation mill; Adol Christin might come out as a Dark Horse in the Fighters Pass. The Ys series despite having been most of its life a "niche" franchise, these games are straight fire. About a year ago (approximately), Ys IX: Monstrum Nox released for the PS4. It wasn't until early this year that Nintendo shadowdropped the announcement of Ys IX coming to the Nintendo Switch (albeit next year). In a past interview Toshihiro Kondo (current president of Nihon Falcom) was asked if he would like for one of the Falcom series to be represented in Smash (or something along those lines), and although he expressed that a character he'd like to see is Rean (protagonist from The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel), Adol would be the more likelier choice since the Ys series has been around for a long (and I mean a loooooooooooooooooooong) time. Right now his chances however of being one of the DLC fighters might seem low, one never knows.
• Klonoa (Klonoa): now this character is another potential Dark Horse, and would be Bandai Namco's second rep in the game if he ends up being among the DLC characters. Around this month last year, Bandai Namco had filed three trademarks with the added nomenclature of "Encore". These three trademarks were for the IPs of Mr. Driller, Splatterhouse, and Klonoa. A few months ago we got the release of a brand new Mr. Driller game on the Nintendo Switch (that's one of the three trademarks materialized). It is only a matter of time for the Klonoa game to be announced sometime this year, and Smash would serve as a key platform to push Klonoa back into the spotlight.

These are the characters I pondered about that at the moment seem to be the candidates for the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. Of course, other IPs have gotten new announcements in recent months, but there are always some names that seem to come up more often than not.

 

[StrangeKitten]

These are the characters I pondered about that at the moment seem to be the candidates for the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. Of course, other IPs have gotten new announcements in recent months, but there are always some names that seem to come up more often than not.

I'd add Travis Touchdown to your list. He's always had good chances, and there was a recent interview where the head dev gave a suspicious response that would lean towards Travis being in.

 

[a random user]

you tellin me we could get Mario Kart: Tokyo Drift, Zelda Breath of the Wild: Ganondorf dead and loving it, and DKC: K Rool’s Kommode on the same day??

dont forget monster hunter: dogs, and Disgaea: we almost went bankrupt last time

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

While we continue to sail through purgatory, I've been thinking about the rumored Switch Pro and it's made me think about how Nintendo has handled launches most of its history. They usually do: a new game for one of their bigger franchises (typically Mario or Zelda), something casual AF, and a new franchise launch or dead franchise revival (usually something experimental). You can see the rundown here:

List of video game console launch games

This is an incomplete list of launch games for various video game consoles. Although most launch titles were released synchronously with the system they were released for, some games were released prior to the actual system release: for example, Dragon Quest Monsters was released on the Game Boy...

gamicus.gamepedia.com

March 26th keeps coming up and, based on Nintendo's history, it's safe to assume at least three first party games on that day. BotW2 wouldn't surprise me at all along with Mario Kart 9 if it's real. This then begs the question of what this third (and possibly fourth) first party games are supposed to be? I'm genuinely wondering if Donkey Kong Country is supposed to be one of them. Mario, Zelda, and DK all available for the Switch Pro's launch would be a hell of an offer.

Can you go a bit more into this switch pro thing? is it supposed to be a whole generation jump like ps4 to ps5 or is it more like the dsi and just upgraded hardware?

 

[PatPrime]

While we continue to sail through purgatory, I've been thinking about the rumored Switch Pro and it's made me think about how Nintendo has handled launches most of its history. They usually do: a new game for one of their bigger franchises (typically Mario or Zelda), something casual AF, and a new franchise launch or dead franchise revival (usually something experimental). You can see the rundown here:

List of video game console launch games

This is an incomplete list of launch games for various video game consoles. Although most launch titles were released synchronously with the system they were released for, some games were released prior to the actual system release: for example, Dragon Quest Monsters was released on the Game Boy...

gamicus.gamepedia.com

March 26th keeps coming up and, based on Nintendo's history, it's safe to assume at least three first party games on that day. BotW2 wouldn't surprise me at all along with Mario Kart 9 if it's real. This then begs the question of what this third (and possibly fourth) first party games are supposed to be? I'm genuinely wondering if Donkey Kong Country is supposed to be one of them. Mario, Zelda, and DK all available for the Switch Pro's launch would be a hell of an offer.

Man I just need a new Mario Kart and finally see SOMETHING for Metroid Prime 4. MK8 Deluxe is great but its been 6 years since the original released on Wii U. As much as I want to believe a new entry is coming, with 8 Deluxe still selling well and other ventures like Tour and Live Home Circuit, I'm not really sure if Nintendo wants or needs to make a new entry.

 

[QQS]

What has been happening these last days? It was Chile Independence week so I was away!

GENO SHINES LIKE A STAR!

 

[Trevenant]

I haven't seen this topic brought up yet so I'll just post it here.
New 7/11 pop display with Min Min is now up until October 4th.

Just quoting this from Newcom Spec we could actually be in for it real soon. Thanks Ayumi Tachibana.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

From the main dlc thread:

I haven't seen this topic brought up yet so I'll just post it here.
New 7/11 pop display with Min Min is now up until October 4th.

It’ll be REAL SOON... possible reveal this week, release the next?
’d

 

[Trevenant]

Plz delete?

 

[RetrogamerMax]

What has been happening these last days? It was Chile Independence week so I was away!

GENO SHINES LIKE A STAR!

Nothing much, just another Smash tournament happening in the last week of September which kind of counts out this month for the next reveal.

 

[YsDisciple]

Just quoting this from Newcom Spec we could actually be in for it real soon. Thanks Ayumi Tachibana.

Looking at the poster (specifically the top right corner), I take it that it'll be up until October 4th? Could that perhaps mean that... CP 7 might be revealed no later than that day? Hooo boy, and two days before that is Crash Bandicoot 4's release, + the US Amiibo wave. LET'S GOOOOOO!!!!

 

[Trevenant]

Looking at the poster (specifically the top right corner), I take it that it'll be up until October 4th? Could that perhaps mean that... CP 7 might be revealed no later than that day? Hooo boy, and two days before that is Crash Bandicoot 4's release, + the US Amiibo wave. LET'S GOOOOOO!!!!

Yeah I assume it means within the next couple of weeks 2 at most I assume. I'm not sure about the context but for a vague punt at it I remember Hero having something similar which implied he would release within a couple of weeks and it was right. Someone may have a better explanation but it's real safe to assume that it could indicate something

 

[MattX20]

Just quoting this from Newcom Spec we could actually be in for it real soon. Thanks Ayumi Tachibana.

It's very welcomed news. Every time one of these popped up, a new DLC reveal or Sakurai Presents wasn't far off. This will be very useful to determine when in the next two weeks to see FP7

 

[Let Geno Smash]

Ok this is big. The 1st time it happened was with Hero, the add said August 4th and Hero was showcased and launched in July 30th. The add with Banjo said September 15th and he was launched on September 4th. Looking forward it

 

[MattX20]

If the ad is up until October 4th, at least going by past tradition, the presentations for Smash DLC or reveals happened at least a week or so beforehand if memory serves. It very much implies a September reveal if not outright release

 

[AceAttorney9000]

That 7/11 ad is a sight for sore eyes. Even if it's not until October, at least now we have an actual date to look forward to.

Ok this is big. The 1st time it happened was with Hero, the add said August 4th and Hero was showcased and launched in July 30th. The add with Banjo said September 15th and he was launched on September 4th. Looking forward it

If the ad is up until October 4th, at least going by past tradition, the presentations for Smash DLC or reveals happened at least a week or so beforehand if memory serves. It very much implies a September reveal if not outright release

Going by Hero and Banjo, we could potentially see Fighter 7 sometime between this week and the 29th next week.

Does anyone remember if there was a 7/11 ad around Terry's release, and when he was released in relation to the ad?

 

[Trevenant]

I'd probably expect an October release tbh. Only time characters have been dropped directly after a Sakurai showcase is with Banjo which was revealed in quite a different fashion due to being tacked onto the end of a direct anyway. Even with Min Min we had to wait a week.

 

[Nazyrus]

If the ad is up until October 4th, at least going by past tradition, the presentations for Smash DLC or reveals happened at least a week or so beforehand if memory serves. It very much implies a September reveal if not outright release

If next week happens to be just HW news and then the week after is Smash, then I will have officially called it with my theory haha.

 

[AceAttorney9000]

I'd probably expect an October release tbh. Only time characters have been dropped directly after a Sakurai showcase is with Banjo which was revealed in quite a different fashion due to being tacked onto the end of a direct anyway. Even with Min Min we had to wait a week.

Hero and Terry were also dropped directly after their presentations. Byleth and Min Min were the ones who had to wait a week before releasing.

 

[MattX20]

Hero and Terry were also dropped directly after their presentations. Byleth and Min Min were the ones who had to wait a week before releasing.

Exactly. It's entirely possible we can still see fighters released hours after their presentation instead of 1 week or longer. We still have FP7 through 11 to go through and we can't discard that possibility.

 

[YsDisciple]

The fact that the add will be up until the 4th of October apparently, being it so close to Crash Bandicoot's release (2 days prior) is really giving me the vibes that CP 7 (or 8 if they reveal two) might actually be Crash (or they could just go mad lad and reveal Geno and Crash, or whoever and Crash).

 

[MattX20]

One more thing to note is that October the 4th is a Sunday this year.

 

[Trevenant]

Hero and Terry were also dropped directly after their presentations. Byleth and Min Min were the ones who had to wait a week before releasing.

I vaguely remember Terry being that but I vaguely recall having to wait a couple days for Hero. I guess they kind of were but idk. I don't think we should go expecting reveals like Banjo which were literally after the showcase but a day or so seems plausible.

 

[T2by4]

Wasn't one of fatman's theories that the other date for a character would be on around the 28th? Seems likely this is actually gonna be the case.

 

[YsDisciple]

Now with the add, the timing is lining up to be a similar scenario to Min Min's announcement and release (revealed on June 22, released on June 29; both days being a Monday). If so, we could be getting the reveal as soon as tomorrow, or on Tuesday, and then get CP 7 released on either the 28th, or 29th.

 

[AceAttorney9000]

I vaguely remember Terry being that but I vaguely recall having to wait a couple days for Hero. I guess they kind of were but idk. I don't think we should go expecting reveals like Banjo which were literally after the showcase but a day or so seems plausible.

At the very least, Hero was meant to be released the same day as his presentation, even if not immediately after. You weren't waiting an extended period of time like with Byleth and Min Min.

 

[Trevenant]

Now with the add, the timing is lining up to be a similar scenario to Min Min's announcement and release (revealed on June 22, released on June 29; both days being a Monday). If so, we could be getting the reveal as soon as tomorrow, or on Tuesday, and then get CP 7 released on either the 28th, or 29th.

Idk about a reveal literally tomorrow. Unless it flat out gets shadowdropped but I feel most people discount it just due to how large smash is and how deflating it would be to sort your Twitter feed by New and get spoiled about the character because you had no idea it was actually existent. Tuesday is admittedly more likely but if it's this week the most likely is probably Thursday imo.

 

[YsDisciple]

Idk about a reveal literally tomorrow. Unless it flat out gets shadowdropped but I feel most people discount it just due to how large smash is and how deflating it would be to sort your Twitter feed by New and get spoiled about the character because you had no idea it was actually existent. Tuesday is admittedly more likely but if it's this week the most likely is probably Thursday imo.

Hmm, Thursday would actually be perfect. If the one week gap of reveal and release is sustained, the character would release on October 1st (one day before Crash Bandicoot 4), which would really seem like a great release date for Crash as a DLC fighter (in order to promote the release of the game). Dunno tho, hopefully news aren't too far off now.

 

[MattX20]

This ad came in at just the right time when people we're getting more and more irritated/angered by the lack of any substantial news. It might even also indicate that we'll see FP8 by years end too

 

[AceAttorney9000]

Now with the add, the timing is lining up to be a similar scenario to Min Min's announcement and release (revealed on June 22, released on June 29; both days being a Monday). If so, we could be getting the reveal as soon as tomorrow, or on Tuesday, and then get CP 7 released on either the 28th, or 29th.

Tomorrow and Tuesday are national holidays in Japan, and while I'd love a reveal and/or release as early as tomorrow, Nintendo doesn't post stuff on national holidays, I don't think.

I think the earliest for anything would be Wednesday, though even that would depend on Nintendo not giving a crap about revealing stuff while TGS is going on (though in fairness, they didn't give a crap about a Sony presentation on the PS5 taking place a day before their Partner Showcase).

 

[MattX20]

Tomorrow and Tuesday are national holidays in Japan, and while I'd love a reveal and/or release as early as tomorrow, Nintendo doesn't post stuff on national holidays, I don't think.

I think the earliest for anything would be Wednesday, though even that would depend on Nintendo not giving a crap about revealing stuff while TGS is going on (though in fairness, they didn't give a crap about a Sony presentation on the PS5 taking place a day before their Partner Showcase).

Tuesday at 9 a.m. cst in the U.S. would be 3 a.m. or so in Japan on Wednesday morning. Monday can be ruled out, but not Tuesday entirely

 

[Noipoi]

Looks like things are gettin interesting.

 

[Lord Woomy]

Happy birthday Griselda !!!!!



Also this godforsaken wait may actually be over soon

 

[ctt4lfecw]

That sucks. No offense to Crash fans, but I wish Geno would be next. It would make so much sense, DLC #7 and Fighter 77, Legend of the Seven Stars, you’d think it would be Geno next. Crash can wait until 8.

 

[Lord Woomy]

No SmashBoards, just because Crash is getting a release close to FP7 does not in any way mean he's FP7

 

[GenoToto]

One of the things I've been kind of mulling over is that I don't think I ever believed in Geno being perfectly set as Fighter #77. As much as it would fit, as perfect as it would seem... the truth of the matter is that Sakurai rarely does things that come off as perfect theming. The only time of note would be Little Mac's inclusion on the Punch-Out anniversary for Smash 4, but I rarely see any other examples cited, if any exist at all. That said, I've kept to a cautiously optimistic approach, versus the attitude that it was a sure thing. It feels like we could easily set ourselves up to fall into a trap with that mindset, and if Geno turns out to not be the perfect #7, then I fear that there is a risk of frustration being funneled towards Sakurai because of a 'missed opportunity'.

For all we know, the curveball is that Geno is in, but he's actually #8. I've actually been wondering if that was going to be the case for a while, now. Given the talk surrounding Crash and, now, Monster Hunter? I'm starting to be a little concerned that we're still going to be on this journey for a while.

 

[goodspeed87]

I have zero doubts this will be a dual-reveal. GENO+CRASH or GENO+MASTER CHIEF get all my bets.

 

[MattX20]

I'd welcome Crash, but I think at earliest, he would be FP8 or FP9