Heir to the Monado. Shulk General Discussion/Social Thread

[Aipom]

I agree with what you guys have been talking about. Shulk does seem like a worthy new Nintendo IP, but could possibly be a one-shot character.

Personally, I feel as though he and Little Mac are pretty likely to get in Smash 4

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I'd like to think Shulk is likely. I just love the thought of him being in the game. I'm just not entirely sure if I am giving it too much thought and am setting myself up for dissapointment.

I don't really think the fact that he is another swordsmen goes against him either. Brawl had 5, and assuming Roy is added along with Shulk, and even Takamaru, that would take the amount to 6 or 7. Is that too many?

 

[Aipom]

I'd say that's fine. As long as the developers make them handle and play in a different way, I'm perfectly fine with it

 

[N3ON]

Yeah, being another swordsmen will have no impact in his chances, positively or negatively. Especially with a sword as different, diverse, and capable as the Monado.

 

[FlareHabanero]

One-shot characters aren't exactly a big issue. Ness only appears in Earthbound, Lucas only appears in Mother 3, Sheik only appears in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Ice Climbers only appears in Ice Climber. Considering the potential that a game like Xenoblade offers, being a one shot shouldn't be a huge deal. But even then it's too early to tell if Shulk will be a one shot character and be replaced by varies successors akin to Final Fantasy or Pokemon.

 

[N3ON]

One-shot characters aren't exactly a big issue. Ness only appears in Earthbound, Lucas only appears in Mother 3, Sheik only appears in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Ice Climbers only appear in Ice Climber.

You're right, being a one-shot character won't effect his chances adversely if his series had other games and he was still the most popular/important/recent protagonist from them, but mixed with the fact that as of now Xenoblade is a one-off, his single appearance might be brushed off by Sakurai at this point in time (again, I'm not saying it definitely will be, just that it could be). It's really more of the single-game series that's the con, not the one-shot character.

Plus retro characters are specially chosen and don't have to meet the standards other characters do for inclusion, so they should be counted separately. It's entirely possible Takamaru will be included in SSB4, and he only has a single game as well, but as a retro his prerequisites are different and frankly more lax than non-retros.

 

[Aipom]

Plus retro characters are specially chosen and don't have to meet the standards other characters do for inclusion, so they should be counted separately. It's entirely possible Takamaru will be included in SSB4, and he only has a single game as well, but as a retro his prerequisites are different and frankly more lax than non-retros.

Yeah, I feel like Sakurai might be pressured by Xenoblades' creator to get put in the game so the hype over the series won't begin declining. Shulk is currently having a significant surge in popularity, so an appearance in SSB4 would open his series up to a wider audience and help him stay in the limelight longer

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I feel as if Shulk in general would be one of the most unique swordfighters in the game just because of the Monado. if some of the powers were applicable to his moveset, he could absolutely be set apart from the rest.

I definitely feel confident about his inclusion. If he doesn't make it in, and there happens to be DLC, i'm sure at that point he would be added. Popularity doesn't mean everything, but depending on the character it could make a huge difference, and i'm of the belief that it helps Shulk's case quite a bit.

 

[N3ON]

Yeah, I feel like Sakurai might be pressured by Xenoblades' creator to get put in the game so the hype over the series won't begin declining. Shulk is currently having a significant surge in popularity, so an appearance in SSB4 would open his series up to a wider audience and help him stay in the limelight longer

Someone at Monolith asking Sakurai is possible I suppose, though I wouldn't say entirely likely. If they were working on SSB4 like they did with Brawl, I'd say it'd be much likelier. Plus with their new Wii U game in development (which will almost definitely be released before SSB4), it shouldn't be surprising if they hypothetically asked for that to be repped instead. Publicity and all, though honestly I think Sakurai would reject both requests, and only add Shulk if he thought he merited it. Monolith isn't like Game Freak and the PKMN Company, as they are first-party, Nintendo could override any of their decisions and requests anyway.

I agree that inclusion would help Shulk's longevity (as it would for any character/series), but honestly I feel that Xenoblade isn't in the position where it needs Smash to possibly stay afloat, like I fear Golden Sun and Sin & Punishment might be. S&P could be a lost cause already, it has never been too well received commercially.

 

[Aipom]

Someone at Monolith asking Sakurai is possible I suppose, though I wouldn't say entirely likely. If they were working on SSB4 like they did with Brawl, I'd say it'd be much likelier. Plus with their new Wii U game in development (which will almost definitely be released before SSB4), it shouldn't be surprising if they hypothetically asked for that to be repped instead. Publicity and all, though honestly I think Sakurai would reject both requests, and only add Shulk if he thought he merited it. Monolith isn't like Game Freak and the PKMN Company, as they are first-party, Nintendo could override any of their decisions and requests anyway.

I agree that inclusion would help Shulk's longevity (as it would for any character/series), but honestly I feel that Xenoblade isn't in the position where it needs Smash to possibly stay afloat, like I fear Golden Sun and Sin & Punishment might be. S&P could be a lost cause already, it has never been too well received commercially.

This is all very true. I wasn't trying to say that Xenoblade Chronicles needs Smash 4 to stay afloat, rather, I was trying to say that it would boost them up even further than what they already are; in a way warding off what has happened to series like Sin & Punishment and Golden Sun.

Series like those two could really benefit from some Smash appearances as an attempt to reignite the flames, or atleast give those series another shot

 

[FlareHabanero]

Keep in mind that Monolith Soft did help with the development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, so it's not like the company as a whole would be stingy with anything related to Super Smash Bros. In fact being first party would mean a higher priority when it comes to content being added.

In fact, Monolith Soft is actually kinda generous when it comes to assisting. They also helped developing Skyward Sword, Project X Zone, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

 

[ChronoBound]

For those saying Monolith Soft helped with Brawl's development, it was not Monolith Soft. It was Game Arts, another primarily RPG-developing studio.

 

[N3ON]

For those saying Monolith Soft helped with Brawl's development, it was not Monolith Soft. It was Game Arts, another primarily RPG-developing studio.

I didn't mean to imply I thought they were the primary developer, but they did help with development, just like they did for Skyward Sword and are for New Leaf. IIRC they mostly helped with the Adventure mode.

They're listed second in "development cooperation".

 

[SmashChu]

I don't think Shulk has a problem. We have yet to see Sakurai turn down a series or character because of not enough game. Actually, it's never been an issue until now (this is the first time a first party Nintendo title came right before Smash development). He tends to care if the character is really strong and if people will like his/her inclusion. Both are true for Shulk.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I guess all that means is that we need to maintain support Shulk to make sure he gets in!

Seriously though, I've got confidence in Shulk. When you look at the main candidates for Smash 4, at least in my mind it comes down to Ridley, K. Rool, Mewtwo and possibly Roy. Other than those few, the rest is fair game. There is bound to be at least 1 retro (2 if you count G&W and R.O.B). Then there will assumably be a 3rd party...

So if we take what Sakurai supposedly said about the roster not expanding as much, I predict approximately an addition of 10-14 characters. The characters I listed above take up from 6-8 if there happens to be a 2nd third party. That would leave about 4 to 8 slots left if I happen to be right (which i'm not saying I am, so don't quote me).

Other characters off the top of my head that I could see getting in would be Palutena, MAYBE a Mario rep, Little Mac, Isaac, MAYBE Krystal, MAYBE Saki, and of course Shulk. Maybe I will post my proposed rosters in here to give a more visual example, not that it is really needed. But when you look at the roster that way, Shulk's chances don't look too bad, assuming some of the other characters don't happen.

 

[kikaru]

Here's to Shulk! He reminds me of Stocke for some reason (might be the hair) which is all the more reason to include him haha.

I'd say Shulk has a fair amount of competition to get in especially with characters who are shoe-ins like King K., Ridley, a 5th gen Pokemon, and hopefully a Megaman character in some form that is not Tron or bad box art Megaman.

 

[Starphoenix]

Keep in mind that Monolith Soft did help with the development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, so it's not like the company as a whole would be stingy with anything related to Super Smash Bros. In fact being first party would mean a higher priority when it comes to content being added.

In fact, Monolith Soft is actually kinda generous when it comes to assisting. They also helped developing Skyward Sword, Project X Zone, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

To be quite honest, I would not be surprised in the least if certain teams within Monolith Soft are already helping Sakurai develop Super Smash Bros again. From what I know, Namco is not the only company helping Sakurai, they're just handling a lot of the bulk until Nintendo got some of their guys in place. Considering this was several months ago, that has likely already changed. Besides HAL, Monolith Soft would be the only versatile studio within Nintendo capable of handling that load.

 

[DarkAres]

All things considered, Pikmin was still fairly new when Brawl came out but we still got Captain Olimar. Yeah, there were two Pikmin games out by then, but...that's still only one more than Shulk has now!

Given the huge publicity Xenoblade received from both Operation Rainfall and critical acclaim post-release, I think he is extremely likely.

Now the real question is this; who should be the AT from Xenoblade? I'm hoping for Melia using a bunch of Element Bursts.

 

[Aipom]

I'd honestly say the critical acclaim is good enough to warrant him a slot. Operation Rainfall might get The Last Story an assist trophy, and Pandora's Tower a regular trophy..... at best.

But either way, Shulk would be a nice addition to show that there are still new Nintendo IPs up and kicking

 

[8-peacock-8]

All things considered, Pikmin was still fairly new when Brawl came out but we still got Captain Olimar. Yeah, there were two Pikmin games out by then, but...that's still only one more than Shulk has now!

Given the huge publicity Xenoblade received from both Operation Rainfall and critical acclaim post-release, I think he is extremely likely.

Now the real question is this; who should be the AT from Xenoblade? I'm hoping for Melia using a bunch of Element Bursts.

I want a Dunban AT.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Riki for the assist trophy role. After all, he was chosen to be the hero (except not really).

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I'd have to go with Reyn because then it would be Reyn Time!

Seriously though, it could be Fiora, just because she has a major role in the stoyline. But any character would probably be good.

Assuming there is another story mode like Subspace Emissary, will there be any Xenoblade prescence? I'm thinking a Telethia Boss could be pretty awesome, or maybe even a Mechon ( think Xord). Not that it would be necessary

 

[Dark Phazon]

Telethia boss would be beyond Epic.

 

[DarkAres]

Telethia boss would be so amazing. As for Fiora, given

Spoiler

that she dies and then comes back a Machina

, I can't see her getting in. Otherwise it's major spoilers.

Then again, Porky as a boss was a major spoiler for the Mother series too.

 

[N3ON]

I think Sakurai stopped caring so much for spoilers once Zelda turned directly into Sheik.

 

[yani]

If we were blessed with two XBC reps, Seven would definitely be my pick. I'd love to have the character in Smash. Riki would definitely be the best AT.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

Not that polls really matter, but the last few I have looked at have Shulk as a pretty popular choice. While he isn't surpassing Ridley or anything, he is basically the next most popular character after that.

So according to a few different polls, he has a decent amount of popularity in the West, and from what i've read he has a lot of popularity in Japan and such. This is very very good.

Even looking at the Smashboards poll. There are a few characters in between the most popular and Shulk, and even then some of those characters in between are a bit...strange.

For example Majora, Banjo Kazooie, more than one Mario addition etc are all a bit of a stretch, so Shulk's popularity is real and a big factor right now. I think i'm going to see what else I can find as far as these polls go. I'm getting rather interested.

 

[DarkAres]

I think Sakurai stopped caring so much for spoilers once Zelda turned directly into Sheik.

This is unfortunately true. I'm still voting for Melia though. I'm still pissed there was no Melia route in the game. That poor girl is still intensely screwed over by end-game.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

Theres plenty of ways they could avoid spoilers but as Neon said, they probably just won't care XD.

I'm getting ever more excited for Shulk. His popularity is apparently really freaking high when considering Smash according to Chronobound. Like top 10 material on most sites. Awesome!

I think any character that would add something unique to the AT pool would be a good choice. So I would probably go with Riki or Melia.

Or a Telethia

 

[SmashChu]

Theres plenty of ways they could avoid spoilers but as Neon said, they probably just won't care XD.

As long as we don't let Seven in, we'll be good.

Also, if Shulk is in, Metal Face would be an amazing boss.

 

[8-peacock-8]

Metal Face and Porky teaming up to fight Ness and Shulk.

 

[lanky_gunner]

I really need to finish this game...

Seems like a sweet character. I'd play as him.

 

[Aipom]

I mean this game is consistently getting critical acclaim as of lately, so if Sakurai heard about this around development time and when he was deciding his roster, I think he would put him in

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I might be more interested in this game if it stared some kind of anthropomorphic cartoon hero and was made in the 90's

 

[Deleted member]

Shulk is my most wanted character for SSB4, right front of Pretty Palutena and Ridley.

Also, about other things from Xenoblade that could serve to SSB4, what about Riki's biters ?

Those items could serve like Lip's Stick, without projectile but causing a bit more physical damages and causing more random effects, like paralysis, sleep or being poisoned for few seconds.

 

[DragonSniperNintendo]

Shulk for SSB4

 

[Robotic Wind]

I like the idea of Shulk using his regular arts then using Monado Arts with the final smash but what would be a good way to use the Monado's future seeing abilites?

 

[XenoPhantasy]

Shulk would be my most used character in the next game.

 

[Lumina]

I'd rather have Shulk over Isaac in SSBB4, cause Xenoblade is so much more relevant than GoldenSun. Not saying relevancy should really be a deciding factor as to who makes the cast, but then again... Lucario made it cause his generation was "relevant"

 

[FlareHabanero]

Lucario made it in because of popularity, not because it was the new thing. But I still believe in Xenoblade having a better shot at a character then Golden Sun, but not because of what's relevant.