ForsakenM
Smash Lord
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2018
- Messages
- 1,984
So it's late and I'm tired, but I promised you guys a list of reasons as to why Geno is actually a good choice for Square to get down on and agree to put into Smash.
So, here we go...
There are probably things I missed, but it's time I head to bed. Just wanted to get this to you guys since I promised it a couple days ago.
So, here we go...
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Probably the most obvious one being the fandom behind him. I mean, I dunno if you've been under a rock or in denial so hard that you must visit GameFAQs regularly, but Geno is KINDA a big deal in the Smash community. Love or hate him, you've heard about him. Everyone in every community that talks about what characters could be coming to Ultimate has brought him up and by the day he has more people supporting his entry whether it's because they think he's cool, want us to be vindicated after two decades of requests, or are just sick of hearing about him. Geno is now the front-runner for a Smash fandom pick and is the most-discussed Smash fandom pick of current times.
Sakurai has known about our demand for years and what little noise we've heard form Nintendo about SMRPG seems to show that they have also heard us, so there is no way Square doesn't also know about our demand for them now that they are becoming good partners with Nintendo again. This means that outside of Sora, Geno would be the best choice for a character from Square to be well-received by the audience and we play a bigger part in getting the content we want from companies than we think. Just remember that every other fighting game out there makes the most demanded characters happened eventually, and the only reason we have any fear or dread is because Smash can pull from all of video games instead of just a single franchise a couple guest characters that will never return.
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We've been up and down on this, but the fact remains that Square's biggest hits tend to hit a lot of snares when it comes to approving content for third party purposes. Now we already know that Square seems to be really iffy on their biggest hits and they like to make good money and perfect representation when they are involved, but another thing we PRESUMABLY know (I don't believe anyone has 100% confirmed this) is that both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have a lot of moving parts and separate entities who all need to be communicated with and to get their approval and their cut of the profits.
If I remember what someone said here, and if this is true, there were issues with the FFVII artist in some way and it's why we only have Cloud's Ultimate renders as his Spirits. Similar things have been said about the composer, which ends us up with only two music tracks. This makes it appear that it's not all Square's fault that we haven't gotten more content, though with how they are about getting their money's worth, I'm sure they also play a part. For these reasons and the fact that Cloud is all you REALLY need for Final Fantasy content, it significantly hurts the chances of more Final Fantasy content down the road, forget more playable characters.
Dragon Quest had similar issues, what with a composer that refuses to give his best to the overseas market and leaving us with MIDIs, and having both Armor Project and Akira Toriyama's Bird Studios to work with. Now it seems Square played ball a bit better this time but there were still many limitations on content (though not as bad as Final Fantasy) and it seems very unlikely there will be more Dragon Quest content as Sakurai really covered all his bases with this one.
Geno is in an amazing place in this regard: his content isn't really broken up between many different companies and persons, and what could be broken up isn't an issue. For music, Yoko Shimomura was working for Square at the time so they technically don't need her permission since she wasn't freelance until years later, but even so she's already working on Ultimate so it doesn't matter. As far as I'm aware, the artists for SMRPG work for Nintendo on different projects, so that's a non-issue. In fact, everything Square needs they wholly own with no ties to companies like Bird Studios or Disney, are assets that are already working on Ultimate, or are a part of Nintendo who is the other half to SMRPG as it is. The fact Sakurai would be coming to negotiate for Geno would mean Nintendo approved it already and thus the only other company involved in the matter is already onboard. Add in that Square wouldn't have to potentially divvy up profits with anyone else but Nintendo on this one and it turns out that Geno is essentially easy money for them.
In fact, Geno's lack of use actually benefits him here oddly enough. Sure, you can point out that Sakurai and Nintendo have had Ultimate really going down the path of picking up characters who long lost their relevance, which it true of course, but more importantly Geno being hidden away for so long has what fans of Maximillian_Dood will understand as the Rival Schools/Power Stone effect, in which the lack of new titles and appearances has actually created an incredibly craving while leaving all the red tape applied to others series. Geno doesn't have to worry about any contracts or agreements or special restrictions they do/COULD apply to characters like FF general content, DQ characters, 2B, Kingdom Hearts general content and so on.
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For some reason people don't mention this more often, but the amount of good PR Geno's inclusion would do for Square is kinda nuts. This thread on and off talks about how greedy or stingy or generally terrible Square is, and as with being a company that sells a product, you naturally have those who criticize you. Now, imagine Geno gets revealed as the next fighter, as Challenger Pack 8: how much would your opinion change on that, being a Nintendo fan? See, where Sora getting in would mean at lot to a larger casual audience, Geno getting in means more to Nintendo's hardcore consumer base. Remember when Square came out and announced new and returning IPs for Switch? Remember how their decisions have suggested that we are back to the old glory days of working together with Nintendo? Well putting Geno into Smash is actually putting your money where your mouth is for such a statement.
It's a sign to Nintendo's audience who has been around since the 90s that Square remembers and answered the call with a yes, a living testament to the revival of a legendary partnership. Suddenly, Nintendo fans start talking better of Square. Now Nintendo fans are wondering if a remake/sequel to SMRPG could really happen. What could this mean for the Chrono Series? For Breath of Fire? Since the Mana series, SaGa series and recently TWEWY have been getting a lot of love, who knows what could be next! Now fans are excited for what else Square has in store for the Switch. Now every time we have a Nintendo announcement and Square's logo shows up, people are on the edge of their seat. Now I won't act as if this does more for a wider audience as I know better than that, but it would be a big deal for Nintendo's older fanbase which is honestly a huge demographic.
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Speaking of remakes and sequels for SMRPG, Geno in Smash could very easily lead to such happenings, something which we are already speculating about right now. Square getting good PR and getting a taste of the love us older fans have would open the door to more opportunity than I think they had in mind with their original 'new and returning IPs' statement. This would means more potential money and work with Nintendo in the future, opening doors that may have been closer previously, which of course is good for them considering Nintendo is now the richest Japanese company.
We talk about it, but imagine Geno in more Mario titles, like Mario Party or Mario Kart. Maybe the next Mario sports game or M&S Olympics? Hell, maybe a cameo or bigger role in the next Mario game that isn't an RPG? This is a bigger deal than people like to let on.
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Geno is actually possibly the best character choice for Square in terms of what he can offer from representation. Geno is essentially a Square-crafted Mario character, and is the most popular character from a franchise hasn't done well recently despite all the love it has from fans. Geno not only represents Square and Nintendo originally coming together to make something great, not just the final glory days of the SNES, nor the glory years of the late 90s: he represents the beginning of Mario RPGs. The love we have for him and his game is the reason Paper Mario and M&L ever got to exist in the first place. SMRPG showed a clear desire for Mario to have more lore and deeper world building and unique characters to interact with. Geno, despite being dead for essentially a quarter of a century, bring with him the legacy of an amazing partnership that crafted the great granddaddy in a long line of Mario titles that we love to this day, and he also represents going back to the roots of what made those titles great.
I'm checking my own bias at the door when I say that only Sora gives him a run for his money in terms of a legacy, as the big two are already in and anything else Square has fails to compete with the bombshell that Geno brings alongside him. Lara Croft doesn't hold as much weight as these two, 2B's series was dead up until she came around, Crono's IS dead, and Neku is starting to have his own revival by TWEWY's own terms and merits.
There are probably things I missed, but it's time I head to bed. Just wanted to get this to you guys since I promised it a couple days ago.
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the gears begin to turn